Granulicatella adiacens Vertebral Osteomyelitis

Abstract

Nutritionally variant streptococci (NVS) are gram-positive cocci that are classified into 2 genera, Abiotrophia and Granulicatella. They are normal flora of the upper respiratory, urogenital, and gastrointestinal tracts of humans and are rare causes of infections. When NVS do lead to a disease in humans, they tend to cause bacteremia and infective endocarditis. We report the case of a patient who developed Granulicatella adiacens vertebral osteomyelitis. It is the eighth reported case of NVS vertebral osteomyelitis in the literature and represents the first case of Granulicatella vertebral osteomyelitis in a patient without concomitant bacteremia. We review the literature about reported cases of NVS vertebral osteomyelitis.