A fatal rhabdomyolysis with the presence of Bacillus cereus on blood culture: description of a clinical case

Autor: Lara Scoppapietra, Alessio Audino, Guido Ricciardelli, Giuseppina Amarù, Maura Millesimo, Cristina Crocillà, Valentino Granero
Jazyk: English<br />Italian
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: Microbiologia Medica, Vol 39, Iss 1 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2280-6423
DOI: 10.4081/mm.2024.12419
Popis: Bacillus cereus is a Gram-positive bacterium that is ubiquitously present. It is often involved in gastrointestinal infections and food poisoning, but it can rarely cause serious non-gastrointestinal tract infections, particularly in immunocompromised individuals. The pathogenicity of B. cereus is predominantly derived from the production of tissue-destructive exoenzymes, including hemolysins, phospholipases, and proteases. Here, we present a case of bacteremia due to B. cereus in an elderly patient, admitted to the emergency room for respiratory failure and rhabdomyolysis after a fall. The microorganism was detected through blood culture and identified using the MALDI-TOF technique. Despite the rapid start of antibiotic therapy, laboratory data have highlighted how this bacterium, through its virulence factors, can be lethal in the case of rhabdomyolysis, worsening the inflammatory response and subverting the host-microorganism relationship in its favor.
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