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Lee, Huh, Kim, Kang, Kim, Ki, and Lee: A Case of Catheter-related Kocuria marina Bloodstream Infection in a Patient with Multiple Myeloma
Case Report
Clinical Microbiology

Laboratory Medicine Online 2014; 4(1): 51-54.

Published online: 1 January 2014

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3343/lmo.2014.4.1.51

A Case of Catheter-related Kocuria marina Bloodstream Infection in a Patient with Multiple Myeloma

Mi-Na Lee, M.D.1, Hee Jae Huh, M.D.1, Borham Kim, M.D.1, Cheol-In Kang, M.D.2, Kihyun Kim, M.D.2, Chang-Seok Ki, M.D.1, Nam Yong Lee, M.D.1

1Department of Laboratory Medicine and Genetics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

2Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Corresponding author: Nam Yong Lee. Department of Laboratory Medicine and Genetics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 81 Irwon-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 135-710, Korea. Tel: +82-2-3410-2706, Fax: +82-2-3410-2719, mrmicro@skku.edu

Received 10 September 2013       Revised 27 September 2013       Accepted 27 September 2013

© 2014, Laboratory Medicine Online

(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

Kocuria species are gram-positive cocci that are commonly found on human skin, mucosa, and oropharynx. They can cause opportunistic infections in patients with underlying disease or intravenous catheterization. Although several cases of bacteremia caused by Kocuria rosea, Kocuria kristinae, and Kocuria rhizophila have been documented, K. marina has not been reported as a bloodstream pathogen. We isolated K. marina from the blood of a patient with multiple myeloma as a cause of catheter-related bacteremia. The VITEK II system (bioMerieux, Inc.) identified the isolate as K. variance. However, 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis identified the isolate as K. marina. Accurate identification of Kocuria to the species level requires molecular methods that precisely identify these rare pathogens.

Keywords: Kocuria marina, Bacteremia, Catheter-related infection

Figures and Tables

Fig. 1
(A) Growth of Kocuria marina on a blood agar plate after 48 hr of incubation, showing non-hemolytic, small yellowish colonies. (B) Gram staining of K. marina shows gram-positive cocci occurring as diplococci, tetrads, and clusters (1,000×).
lmo-4-51-g001

Notes

This article is available from http://www.labmedonline.org

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