A Case of Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis with Bacteremia Caused by Shewanella algae

Human infection caused by Shewanella algae is rare, which usually occurred after direct contact with seawater or ingestion of raw seafood in the immunocompromised host. There have been anecdotal reports about Shewanella infections in human, but their pathogenic role and microbiologic data are limited. Here, we report a fatal case of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis with bacteremia due to S. algae in a 57-year-old male with liver cirrhosis who had no history of exposure to seawater or raw seafood. Polymicrobial infection with Streptococcus mitis and Escherichia coli was combined and the patient died in spite of early appropriate antimicrobial therapy and early goal-directed therapy for sepsis.