Central Venous Catheter–Related Bacteremia Due to Tsukamurella Species in the Immunocompromised Host: A Case Series and Review of the Literature

We report 6 cases of bacteremia due to Tsukamurella species, all of which were in immunosuppressed patients with indwelling central venous catheters (CVCs). Fewer than 20 cases of serious illness due to these gram-positive bacilli have been reported in the medical literature; these cases have mostly...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical infectious diseases 2002-10, Vol.35 (7), p.e72-e77
Main Authors: Schwartz, M. A., Tabet, S. R., Collier, A. C., Wallis, C. K., Carlson, L. C., Nguyen, T. T., Kattar, M. M., Coyle, M. B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Actinomycetales - isolation & purification
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Bacteremia - microbiology
Catheterization, Central Venous - adverse effects
Child
Child, Preschool
Female
Humans
Immunocompromised Host
Infant
Male
Middle Aged
Prosthesis-Related Infections - microbiology
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Summary:We report 6 cases of bacteremia due to Tsukamurella species, all of which were in immunosuppressed patients with indwelling central venous catheters (CVCs). Fewer than 20 cases of serious illness due to these gram-positive bacilli have been reported in the medical literature; these cases have mostly been ascribed to the species Tsukamurella paurometabola. Tsukamurella species are frequently misidentified as Rhodococcus or Corynebacterium species. We used high-performance liquid chromatography to identify these organisms to the genus level and 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing and DNA-DNA dot blots for species identification. Three of our isolates were identified as Tsukamurella pulmonis, 1 was identified as Tsukamurella tyrosinosolvans, and 1 was identified as a unique species. One isolate was not maintained long enough for species identification. All patients were successfully treated with antimicrobial therapy and CVC removal. Infection with this organism should be considered in the immunosuppressed patient with an indwelling CVC and gram-positive bacilli in the blood.
ISSN:1058-4838
1537-6591
DOI:10.1086/342561