Proteus rettgeri infections: a review

Proteus rettgeri is an aerobic gram-negative bacillus that displays marked resistance against most of the antibiotics presently available. This organism causes infections usually confined to the urinary tract of certain types of compromised patients. Occasionally, it is recovered from soft tissue abscesses, and rarely from the blood and respiratory tract. Proteus rettgeri is notorious for causing nosocomial outbreaks of urinary tract infections in urological and physical medicine wards. Our experience with a patient who had bacteremia with a multi-drug resistant strain of Proteus rettgeri prompted a review of the literature concerning infections with this organism. The salient features of these reports are discussed and summarized. Data on the antibiotic sensitivity of 15 other strains of Proteus rettgeri are included.