A Clostridium hathewayi isolate in blood culture of a patient with an acute appendicitis

Abstract

Introduction: Clostridium species is a group of anaerobic bacteria constituting the colonic microflora of the intestinal tract. Since molecular methodologies based on 16 rRNA have been established for the classification and the recognition of bacterial species, more than 150 species of Clostridium have been described. Most are considered harmless saprophytes; however, these bacteria may be involved in a wide variety of infections and may be a common cause of enteritis and enterotoxemias in humans.

Case presentation: We present the case of a 60-year-old Asian patient admitted in the emergency room with an acute appendicitis where a blood culture showed the presence of a Clostridium hathewayi. This microorganism is an anaerobic bacteria described in 2001 as a Gram negative end-pointed bacillus, usually endospore-forming. It was reclassified in 2014 as Hungatella hathewayi. A literature review has been performed to find articles relating to this bacteria in a clinical case.

Conclusion: C. hathewayi is microorganism recently reclassified as Hungatella hathewayi. Its growth in blood cultures has been reported in a few cases in the literature. Although only a few articles have reported its involvement in clinical infections, we assess that its part in the cause of the illness should be evaluated.

Keywords: Bacteremia; Blood culture; Clostridium hathewayi; Hungatella hathewayi.