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Staphylococcus aureus relapsing bacteremia originating from endovascular thrombi

Piet Leroy1, Antonio Gavilanes, Cees Vink

  • 1Division of Pediatric Intensive Care, University Hospital Maastricht, Maastricht, the Netherlands.

The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal
|February 11, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Recurrent Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia in infants can be caused by relapsing infections. Persistent endovascular thrombi may serve as a focus for persistent Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Recurrent bacteremia poses a significant challenge in pediatric infectious diseases.
  • Staphylococcus aureus is a common cause of bloodstream infections in infants.

Observation:

  • Two infants experienced recurrent methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia.
  • Infection recurred more than two months after the initial episode.

Findings:

  • Pulsed field gel electrophoresis confirmed clonal identity of successive Staphylococcus aureus isolates, indicating relapsing bacteremia.
  • Persistent endovascular thrombi, identified via ultrasound, were suspected as the source of persistent infection in both cases.

Implications:

  • This suggests endovascular thrombi as a potential reservoir for relapsing Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia in infants.
  • Identifying and treating these thrombi may be crucial for eradicating persistent infections.

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