Annals of Clinical Microbiology, The official Journal of the Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology
Case report

Central Venous Catheter-Related Microbacterium Bacteremia Identified by 16S ribosomal RNA Gene Sequencing

Chang-Jin Moon, Jong-Hee Shin, Eun-Sun Jeong, Seung-Jung Kee, Soo-Hyun Kim, Myung-Geun Shin, Soon-Pal Suh, Dong-Wook Ryang

Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Korea

Corresponding to Jong-Hee Shin, E-mail: shinjh@chonnam.ac.kr

Ann Clin Microbiol 2009;12(2):97-101.
Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology.

Abstract

We describe here a case of central venous catheter (CVC)-related bacteremia caused by Microbacterium species in a 14-year-old patient, who had received chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. All nine blood cultures obtained from admission day 2 to day 62 yielded the same yellow-pigmented coryneform rod. Both Vitek 2 (bioMerieux, USA) and MicroScan (Dade Behring, USA) identified the isolate as Micrococcus species, and the API Coryne (bioMerieux, France) identified the isolate as Rhodococcus or Brevibacterium species. However, the 16S rRNA gene sequence showed a 99% identity with Microbacterium species. The bacteremia was recurrent or persistent over 60 days despite alternate systemic antibiotic therapy, but blood culture became negative after an addition of teicoplanin lock therapy for eradicating CVC-related bacteremia. This represents the first report of CVC-related Microbacterium bacteremia cured by antibiotic lock therapy in Korea. (Korean J Clin Microbiol 2009;12:97-101)

Keywords

16S rRNA sequencing, Catheter-related bacteremia, Microbacterium species