Clinical and microbiological characteristics of Rahnella aquatilis strains isolated from children

We report the microbiological characteristics of two Rahnella aquatilis strains isolated in the faeces of two patients with acute gastroenteritis, one of whom is an AIDS patient. The biochemical behaviour was studied with different automated identification systems, and the few clinical cases to be found in the literature were reviewed. Of the nine strains isolated in clinical samples, two were obtained from blood cultures, two from respiratory samples, one from urine, one from a burn wound, one from a surgical wound, and two (our strains) from faeces. In almost all cases the patient presented an underlying condition facilitating infection by opportunistic microorganisms. The majority of strains are characterized by their resistance to ampicillin, cephalothin and cefoxitin. Due to the rarity of the isolation of R. aquatilis in human samples it is not yet possible to establish, with any degree of certainty, its true pathogenic capacity.