Professional paper
https://doi.org/10.37797/ig.40.3.5
Bacteriemia caused by Actinomyces sp. (Microbacterium hydrocarbonoxydans) in a ten-year-old boy with carious dental - a case report
Finka Štivić
; Department of Clinical Microbiology, Teaching Institute of Public Health of Brod-Posavina County, Slavonski Brod, Croatia
Maja Abram
; Department of Clinical Microbiology, Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka, Croatia; School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Croatia
Marko Vučković
; Department of Pediatrics, General Hospital "Dr. Josip Benčević ”, Slavonski Brod, Croatia
Maja Bogdan
; Department of Clinical Microbiology, Clinical Hospital Center Osijek, Croatia; School of Medicine, University of Osijek, Croatia
Domagoj Drenjančević
; Department of Clinical Microbiology, Clinical Hospital Center Osijek, Croatia; School of Medicine, University of Osijek, Croatia
Maja Tomić Paradžik
; Department of Clinical Microbiology, Teaching Institute of Public Health of Brod-Posavina County, Slavonski Brod, Croatia; School of Medicine, University of Osijek, Croatia
Abstract
Objective: To present a case of bacteremia caused by Actinomyces sp. in a ten-year-old boy with carious teeth. Case report: We presented the case of a boy who was hospitalized several times due to recurrent fevers and elevated inflammatory parameters. During the examination, enlarged lymph nodes located along the posterior edge of the sternocleidomastoid, palpably painless and mobile, were observed. Over the past month, he had been receiving oral antibiotics for tonsilopharyngitis accompanied by fever. Gram-positive rods identified by the Api-Coryne identification system as Arcanobacterium haemolyticum were grown in blood samples for blood culture. Due to the rarity of such isolates, the strain was sent for additional identification with 16S rDNA by genome sequencing method to isolate Actinomyces sp., and subsequent identification of Microbacterium hydrocarbonoxydans by applying the MALDI-TOF method. Further haematological treatment of the patient proved Hodgkin's lymphoma. Conclusion: Since API identification systems can be unreliable, rare and uncommon isolates in systemic infections and/or bacteremia should be identified by more reliable and modern systems or molecular methods. The availability of molecular methods and mass spectrometry in routine laboratory diagnostics shall allow more accurate and more frequent identification of such isolates. If there is no good response to targeted therapy in systemic actinomycosis and/or bacteremia caused by species of the Actinomyces genus, underlying malignancy should be suspected.
Keywords
actinomycosis; bacteremia; Hodgkin
Hrčak ID:
252506
URI
Publication date:
22.2.2021.
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