Aeromonas sobria-associated left-sided segmental colitis

Aeromonas species, once thought pathogenic only in immunocompromised hosts, have more recently been found to be associated with many different infections in previously healthy individuals. The most common site of these infections is the gastrointestinal tract. We describe a 67-yr-old woman who presented with abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea and was diagnosed with left-sided, segmental colitis due to Aeromonas sobria, which was proven by stool culture. Extensive work-up for ischemic colitis was unremarkable, and after treatment with antibiotics, the patient's symptoms resolved, and follow-up colonoscopy failed to reveal any evidence of residual colitis or inflammatory bowel disease. Our report supports the view that Aeromonas species need to be considered in the differential diagnosis of colitis, and we believe it to be the first report of left-sided, segmental colitis secondary to Aeromonas sobria infection.