A Rare Case of Soft-Tissue Infection Caused by Raoultella planticola

Raoultella species are Gram-negative, non-motile bacilli primarily considered to be environmental bacteria. Raoultella planticola is a rare cause of human infections. We report a case of serious soft-tissue infection in a young male tiler who presented with cellulitis of his left thumb. He had sustained a crush injury to his left thumb 10 days earlier in a soiled environment. He noted a minor break in the skin and he washed the wound out with running water. One week later, he experienced pain, erythema, and swelling of his thumb and attended his general practitioner who prescribed oral flucloxacillin and penicillin V. Despite this treatment, he noticed progressive erythema and swelling of his thumb requiring hospital admission 3 days later. He underwent washout and debridement of his thumb. Tissue obtained intraoperatively cultured Raoultella planticola. He was treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics including ciprofloxacin and made a full and rapid recovery.