Fatal Septic Shock Due to Dolosigranulum pigrum Bacteremia: a Case Report

We report the case of a 77-year-old Japanese woman with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder treated with 15 mg of prednisolone daily who presented with acute septic shock and altered consciousness due to Dolosigranulum pigrum bacteremia. Intravenous fluid and broad-spectrum antibiotics were initiated; however, the patient died shortly after admission. We performed 16S rRNA sequencing and analyzed the murJ gene. A phylogenetic tree constructed using the neighbor-joining method showed that the strain belonged to Clade C3, according to the Flores Ramos classification system. Although D. pigrum is a commensal of the upper respiratory tract and is rarely associated with infections, it can occasionally cause serious infections. Further clinical and bacteriological data are needed to provide an understanding of the pathogenicity and infections caused by this organism.