Infect Chemother.  2007 Oct;39(5):270-273.

A Case of Agrobacterium radiobacter Sepsis following Oral Surgery in a Patient of Oral Cancer

• Jeong SJ
• Choi HK
• Lee HW
• Shin SH
• Kim CK
• Lee HS
• Chin BS
• Choi SH
• Han SH
• Kim MS
• Kim CO
• Choi JY
• Song YG
• Kim JM

Abstract

Agrobacterium is an aerobic, motile, oxidase-positive, and non-spore-forming gram-negative bacillus. Under laboratory conditions, Agrobacterium can genetically transform a wide range of other eukaryotic species. A plant-pathogenic soil inhabitant, Agrobacterium radiobacter is not characterized as a true human pathogen. It is an opportunistic pathogen of minor clinical significance and has been substantiated as a rare cause of bacteremia, endocarditis, urinary tract infection and peritonitis mostly in catheterized immunocompromised patients. The authors report a case of a 41-year-old female patient with sepsis caused by A. radiobacter bacteremia following wide excisional biopsy of adenoid-cystic carcinoma involving oral cavity. She was suffering from fever and chilling that developed on second post-operation day. Blood cultures yielded a gram-negative bacillus identified as A. radiobacter. She completely recovered with appropriate antibiotics treatment; levofloxacin and isepamicin. We experienced a case of sepsis due to A. radiobacter bacteremia without indwelling foreign body, which was treated successfully with antibiotics therapy.

Keyword

Agrobacterium radiobacter; Sepsis; Fluoroquinolone

MeSH Terms

Adult
Agrobacterium tumefaciens*
Agrobacterium*
Anti-Bacterial Agents
Bacillus
Bacteremia
Biopsy
Catheters
Endocarditis
Female
Fever
Foreign Bodies
Humans
Immunocompromised Host
Levofloxacin
Mouth
Mouth Neoplasms*
Peritonitis
Sepsis*
Soil
Surgery, Oral*
Urinary Tract Infections
Anti-Bacterial Agents
Soil