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. 2015:2015:813528.
doi: 10.1155/2015/813528. Epub 2015 Oct 15.

Empedobacter brevis Bacteremia in a Patient Infected with HIV: Case Report and Review of Literature

Syed Bokhari  1 , Naeem Abbas  1 , Manisha Singh  1 , Richard B Cindrich  1 , Cosmina Zeana  1
Affiliations

Empedobacter brevis Bacteremia in a Patient Infected with HIV: Case Report and Review of Literature

Syed Bokhari et al. Case Rep Infect Dis. 2015.

Abstract

Clinical disease caused by Empedobacter brevis (E. brevis) is very rare. We report the first case of E. brevis bacteremia in a patient with HIV and review the current literature. A 69-year-old man with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and CD4 count of 319 presented with chief complaints of black tarry stools, nausea and vomiting for 2 days. Physical exam was significant for abdominal pain on palpation with no rebound or guarding. His total leukocyte count was 32,000 cells/μL with 82% neutrophils and 9% bands. Emergent colonoscopy and endoscopic esophagogastroduodenoscopy showed esophageal candidiasis, a nonbleeding gastric ulcer, and diverticulosis. Blood cultures drawn on days 1, 2, and 3 of hospitalization grew E. brevis. Patient improved with intravenous antibiotics. This case is unusual, raising the possibility of gastrointestinal colonization as a source of the patient's bacteremia. In conclusion, E. brevis is an emerging pathogen that can cause serious health care associated infections.

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