[Intra-abdominal infections caused by Eikenella corrodens in children]

Eikenella corrodens is a fastidious, facultative anaerobe, not a strict anaerobe, gram-negative bacillus, that was placed in the Brucelaceae family. The difficulties in its isolation delayed its recognition as a human pathogen. The course of disease is usually indolent, and abscess formation is almost universally seen. To date, 30 reported cases describing E corrodens infections of the abdominal cavity have been published and only 17 in children. We reviewed the bacteriology laboratory records for a period of 5 years. This organism was cultured from 5 children, aged 1 to 7 years who had peritonitis secondary to perforated appendicitis. The organism was obteined at the original operation and/or from postoperative intra-abdominal abscesses. Two children required surgical drainage of the abscess and one was treated by means of percutaneous drainage. All patients fully recovered.