Empyema Presentation Secondary to Streptococcus constellatus

A 60-year-old male presented to our institution for abdominal pain and was later admitted to the intensive care unit for shock, acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, and acute kidney injury. He was subsequently found to have a large left-sided pleural effusion with empyema secondary to Streptococcus constellatus. With the emerging threat and growing prevalence of Streptococcus anginosus group pathogens, there is now greater clinical importance in identifying viridans streptococci at the species level. While immunosuppressed individuals are at greater risk of opportunistic pathogens, this case presentation demonstrated that Streptococcus constellatus can remain a serious community-acquired pathogen for the non-immunosuppressed. Continued interprofessional team care management and a greater look into the reasons for greater Streptococcus anginosus pathogenicity may be indicated.