Abstract
Carnobacterium is a genus of gram-positive bacilli belonging to the family Lactobacillaceae. Generally, Carnobacterium species are considered nonpathogenic to humans and are mostly found in the natural environment, food, and food packaging. Furthermore, some Carnobacterium species play a bioprotective role in the food industry. Isolation of Carnobacterium from human blood or other sites, such as skin or abscess, has rarely been reported—there are only four published case reports worldwide, and none of them is from Korea. In all the reported cases, the patients reported contact with an aqueous environment or were administered nutrition via a parenteral route. Herein, we report the detection of Carnobacteriumdivergens bacteremia in an immunocompromised patient by using mass spectrometry in Korea.
Keywords
Blood cultures Carnobacterium divergens MALDI-ToF/MS
Figures & Tables
Fig. 1. Carnobacterium divergens on the surface of sheep blood agar after a two day cultivation at 37°C.
Figures & Tables
Table 1. Literature review of Carnobacterium bacteremia
| Authors (year) | Sex/Age | Diagnosis | Suspected route of infection | Specimen | Method | Identification |
| XU et al.(1997) [5] | F/13 | Finger necrosis | Contamination from pool water | Finger gangrene | API 20A System 16S rRNA sequencing | Carnobacterium species |
| Chmelar et al. (2002) [6] | M/35 | Traumatic amputation of hand | Water sawmill worker, parenteral nutrition | Post-surgical abscess | API 50 16S rRNA sequencing | C. piscicola |
| Hoenigl et al. (2010) | M/43 | Meningitis, sepsis | Contact with seafood | Peripheral blood | N/S 16S rRNA sequencing | Carnobacterium species |
| Smati et al. (2015) | F/57 | Diabetic ketoacidosis, necrotizing esophagitis | Parenteral nutrition | Peripheral blood | API Coryne 16S rRNA sequencing | C. divergens |
