An Emerging Human Pathogen: Raoultella Planticola

Raoultella planticola (R. planticola) is a gram-negative environmental bacterium rarely implicated in human infections. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by R. planticola remain rare, particularly in outpatient settings. We present a 64-year-old female with a history of type 2 diabetes mellitus and recurrent UTIs who presented to the outpatient clinic with dysuria and increased urinary frequency. Urine culture subsequently grew >100,000 CFU/mL of R. planticola. The patient was successfully treated with a five-day course of nitrofurantoin. This case highlights a rare instance of community-acquired UTI due to R. planticola in an immunocompetent outpatient. It underscores the importance of accurate microbiological identification and the consideration of atypical pathogens in patients with recurrent UTIs. This report contributes to the limited literature on R. planticola as a uropathogen and supports nitrofurantoin as an effective treatment option.