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A rare bloodstream infection: Bacillus mycoides
J Heidt1, N Papaloukas, C P Timmerman
1Departments of Intensive Care, Tergooi Hospital, Hilversum, the Netherlands.
The Netherlands Journal of Medicine
|August 9, 2019
Summary
A rare Bacillus mycoides bloodstream infection occurred in a patient resuscitated for influenza. This agriculture bacterium, typically non-pathogenic, may have infected the patient from his barge environment.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Clinical Medicine
Background:
- Influenza can lead to severe complications, including cardiac arrest.
- Bacillus mycoides is a spore-producing bacterium commonly found in agricultural settings and generally considered non-pathogenic to humans.
Observation:
- A 65-year-old male, admitted to the Intensive Care Unit following resuscitation for a hypoxic cardiac arrest due to influenza, presented with an unexpected finding in blood cultures.
- Blood cultures revealed the presence of Bacillus mycoides, an organism not typically associated with human bloodstream infections.
Findings:
- The patient's environment, a barge, was sampled, revealing other Bacillus species, supporting a hypothesis of environmental colonization.
- This case represents the first documented instance of Bacillus mycoides bloodstream infection in a human patient.
Implications:
- This case highlights the potential for environmental, typically apathogenic bacteria to cause opportunistic infections in critically ill patients.
- Further investigation is warranted to understand the mechanisms and risk factors associated with Bacillus mycoides infections.
- Clinicians should consider environmental exposures when diagnosing rare bloodstream infections in immunocompromised or critically ill individuals.
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