Journal List > Infect Chemother > v.44(3) > 1035147

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Lee, Lee, Yun, Oh, Gang, Koo, and Choi: A Case of Shewanella algae Bacteremia Accompanying Cellulitis in Both Legs of a Patient on Hemodialysis: Case Report and Literature Review
Case Report
Infection & Chemotherapy

Infection & Chemotherapy 2012; 44(3): 193-196.

Published online: 30 June 2012

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3947/ic.2012.44.3.193

A Case of Shewanella algae Bacteremia Accompanying Cellulitis in Both Legs of a Patient on Hemodialysis: Case Report and Literature Review

Seong Tae Lee1, Seung June Lee1, Myung Jae Yun1, Hye-Jin Oh1, Na Ri Gang1, Myong-Sook Koo2, Jae-Phil Choi1

1Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.

2Department of Diagnostic Laboratory Medicine, Seoul Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.

Correspondence to Jae-Phil Choi, M.D. Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul Medical Center, 316 Sinnae-dong, Jungnang-gu, Seoul 131-130, Korea. Tel: +82-2-2276-7809, Fax: +82-2-2276-7060, dasole@daum.net

Received 17 June 2011       Revised 30 September 2011       Accepted 30 September 2011

Copyright © 2012 by The Korean Society of Infectious Diseases and Korean Society for Chemotherapy

(open-access):

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

We report a fatal case of Shewanella algae bacteremia accompanied by cellulitis in both legs of a chronic renal failure patient who had not been exposed to sea water or raw fish. A 47-year-old male on hemodialysis was admitted to our clinic due to pain in both legs accompanied by a febrile sensation that started 2 days prior to his visit. A blood culture specimen revealed S. algae, a rare human opportunistic pathogen. In spite of early and appropriate antimicrobial treatment, the patient died of septic shock on the second day of his hospital stay. Recently, serious infections caused by Shewanella species have been reported in increasing frequency. Hepatobiliary diseases have been proposed as predisposing factors, not only for infection by this organism, but also for fatality. However, we should be aware of the significance of S. algae in patients with renal insufficiency, especially those on maintenance hemodialysis. Herein, we report our case with review relevant literature.

Keywords: Shewanella algae, Bacteremia, Cellulitis, Renal insufficiency

Figures and Tables

Table 1
Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Human Infections Caused by Shewanella Species
ic-44-193-i001

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