Minerva A Garcia
Jacobi Medical Center, USA
Title: Difficulties encountered in the isolation of Streptobacillus moniliformis, a GVPmBdCurvB
Biography
Biography: Minerva A Garcia
Abstract
A blood culture isolate of an unusual morphology appearing alpha colonies of facultative anaerobe, GV-PmBdCurvB (Gram Variable Pleomorphic Beaded Curved Bacillus) microorganism was isolated from an aerobic blood culture of a 51-year-old male that was presented to ER with temperature of 39oC. Possibly seems that after being found in the subway floor possibly bitten by a rat in the subway and/or eaten contaminated food. This was one of the findings as per the identification of the microbe. The patient presented with myalgia, arthralgia and chills. The blood culture taken turned positive after day 3. It was returned to the instrument because was non-viable and failed to grow within 48 hours aerobically, anaerobically and microaerophilic. Gram stain revealed a Gram variable bacilli 3% KOH was used to determine its gram variability as a guide to properly guide the clinician. Upon further examination, on day 5, it revealed the microbe was fastidious pathogen with morphology of G + C content growing and requiring 5 to 7 days of further incubation. This organism thought was mixed with two different microbes, turned out that it was not. It was the same strain. It proved to have distinctive features: Gram variable pleomorphic beaded/branching and curved bacilli. It was suspected as two distinctive microorganisms (small and large colonies) identified as one. It failed automation identification as our lab test showed inert biochemically and was forwarded to our Public Health reference lab- NYCDOHMH, they were unable to identify and thus forwarded to NYSDOHWC. NYSDOHWC Identified as S. moniliformis by culture, biochemicals and Bacterial DNA Sequence Analysis. The patient was treated with Vanco-mycin 1g q12 and Meropenem 1g q8 and responded well. The organism took closely to two months for identification due to slow growth characteristic likely the reason and its and gram variable.
NYCDOHMH (NYC DOH Public Health laboratory)/NYSDOHWC (NYS DOH Wadsworth Center)