Identification of Terrisporobacter muris isolated from human blood using whole-genome sequencing: A case report

We describe a case of Terrisporobacter muris bacteremia in a critically ill elderly man with a sigmoid colonic perforation. Initially, MALDI-TOF MS identified the bacterium as T. glycolicus; however, 16S rRNA gene sequencing suggested the presence of T. glycolicus, T. mayombei, or T. petrolearius. Owing to the limitations of these methods in distinguishing among the Terrisporobacter species, we employed whole-genome sequencing, which revealed the involvement of T. muris in the infection. This case represents the second report of T. muris isolated from human blood culture and is the first to describe the clinical course of this infection. Our findings underscore the diagnostic utility of whole-genome sequencing in accurately identifying novel infectious agents.