Hyperammonemia in a septic patient with Ureaplasma parvum arthritis: a case report

Septic arthritis requires prompt diagnosis and treatments. Rare pathogens should be considered when patients respond poorly to the initial antibiotic treatments. Ureaplasma parvum is an opportunistic pathogen that commonly resides in the human urogenital tract. Its infection commonly causes hyperammonemia. Hyperammonemia from Ureaplasma parvum septic arthritis has never been reported previously.

A 65-year-old male presented with fever and left lower leg pain and swelling for more than ten days. Septic arthritis and sepsis were considered after laboratory tests and arthrocentesis. However, he responded poorly to the antibiotic treatments, including cefoperazone-sulbactam, imipenem-cilastatin, and linezolid. His mental status deteriorated rapidly with elevated blood ammonia levels with unremarkable liver function test and sonogram examination results. Despite the treatments with lactulose, L-ornithine L-aspartate, mannitol, and hemodialysis therapy to lower his ammonia level, his blood ammonia level remained persistently high. Finally, metagenomic sequencing of the left knee synovial fluid reported Ureaplasma parvum, which was considered to contribute to his hyperammonemia.

Ureaplasma parvum could cause septic arthritis with hyperammonemia. Genetic tests, such as polymerase chain reaction and next-generation sequencing techniques, could provide a sensitive and fast diagnosis of Ureaplasma parvum.