Propionimicrobium lymphophilum and Actinotignum schaalii bacteraemia: a case report

Abstract

Propionimicrobium lymphophilum is an anaerobic Gram-positive bacillus that exists in human skin and urinary tract. The pathogenicity is, however, not well known. Only two cases of urinary tract infection have been described recently. In the case presented here, the bacterium was isolated, concomitant with Actinotignum schaalii, from blood culture of a patient with fever and difficulty of urination. The bacteria were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and 16S rRNA sequencing. The case was successfully treated with ampicillin/sulbactam.

Molecular Techniques Complement Culture-Based Assessment of Bacteria Composition in Mixed Biofilms of Urinary Tract Catheter-Related Samples

“…This emerging opportunistic pathogen is supposed to be the causative agent of various types of infections linked to the urinary tract (Lotte et al, 2016 ). P. lymphophilum , reported as bacteraemia co-agent together with A. schaalii in the catheterized patient (Ikeda et al, 2017 ), was another uncommon species exclusively identified by PCR-DGGE-S. Because of simultaneous significant co-detection of these species ( p < 0.01, Fishers' test), we hypothesize their mutual relationship in the urinary tract. The role of uncommon bacteria is underestimated, in general, although they may significantly contribute to the pathophysiology and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of CAUTI-associated biofilms as well as non-infective diagnoses (Shrestha et al, 2018 ).…”

Actinotignum schaalii: Relation to Concomitants and Connection to Patients’ Conditions in Polymicrobial Biofilms of Urinary Tract Catheters and Urines

“…The significant difference between As+ and As − samples’ β-diversity indicates that there are bacteria mutually exclusive/co-occurring to A. schaalii , as proved by many reports of poly-bacterial infections [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]. We identified P. lymphophilum and Fusobacterium nucleatum both separately and combined with Alcaligenes faecalis and Streptococcus spp.…”

“…Actinotignum schaalii is typically present in the urogenital tract and has not been detected in stool [3]. It has been recognized as an emerging, opportunistic pathogen and co-agent of various, typically polymicrobial infections [1,[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14], easily overlooked due to its…”

“…Actinotignum schaalii is typically present in the urogenital tract and has not been detected in stool [ 3 ]. It has been recognized as an emerging, opportunistic pathogen and co-agent of various, typically polymicrobial infections [ 1 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ], easily overlooked due to its slow growth and capnophilic nature using routine culture techniques [ 1 , 9 , 10 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ]. A. schaalii has been identified in urine from patients with UTI or urosepsis, together with Gram-negative rods ( Citrobacter sp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Escherichia coli , Klebsiella sp., Proteus sp.…”

ProteoStorm: An Ultrafast Metaproteomics Database Search Framework

“…Individuals infected by obligate or facultative anaerobic pathogens that are frequently undetected using typical urine culture diagnostic methods are present in cluster B-III (genera: 97au; individuals: 94au) (Imirzalioglu, et al, 2008). Of note, individual #116 was clinically diagnosed with UTI, and while a previous study reported Proteus mirabilis as the major UTI causing pathogen, ProteoStorm identified the rare UTI pathogen Propionimicrobium (1,129 out of 3,531 PSMs) (Ikeda, et al, 2017) as the most abundant genera followed by Facklamia (544 PSMs), Actinotignum (538 PSMs), Proteus (424 PSMs), and other gram-positive bacteria (Table S1).…”