Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2016 Nov 18;16(1):138.
doi: 10.1186/s12876-016-0552-y.

Liver abscess and bacteremia caused by lactobacillus: role of probiotics? Case report and review of the literature

Muhammed Sherid  1 , Salih Samo  2 , Samian Sulaiman  3 , Husein Husein  4 , Humberto Sifuentes  1 , Subbaramiah Sridhar  5
Affiliations
Review

Liver abscess and bacteremia caused by lactobacillus: role of probiotics? Case report and review of the literature

Muhammed Sherid et al. BMC Gastroenterol. .

Abstract

Background: Lactobacilli are non-spore forming, lactic acid producing, gram-positive rods. They are a part of the normal gastrointestinal and genitourinary microbiota and have rarely been reported to be the cause of infections. Lactobacilli species are considered non-pathogenic organisms and have been used as probiotics to prevent antibiotic associated diarrhea. There are sporadic reported cases of infections related to lactobacilli containing probiotics.

Case presentation: In this paper we discuss a case of an 82 year old female with liver abscess and bacteremia from lactobacillus after using probiotics containing lactobacilli in the course of her treatment of Clostridium difficile colitis. The Lactobacillus strain identification was not performed and therefore, both commensal microbiota and the probiotic product should be considered as possible sources of the strain.

Conclusion: Lactobacilli can lead to bacteremia and liver abscesses in some susceptible persons and greater awareness of this potential side effect is warranted with the increasing use of probiotics containing lactobacilli.

Keywords: Cholecystectomy; Lactobacillus; Liver abscess; Probiotics.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
a CXR shows elevated right hemi-diaphragm with right lower lobe infiltration and pleural effusion. b U/S of RUQ shows hypodensity multiloculated mass in posterior aspect of right hepatic lobe. c, d CT scan of abdomen shows 6.6 × 4.7 cm hypodensity multiloculated mass in posterior aspect of right hepatic lobe
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
a CXR after treatment shows significant improvement comparing to CXR in Fig. 1a. b CT scan of abdomen shows significant improvement with pigtail catheter in place
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Cannon JP, Lee TA, Bolanos JT, Danziger LH. Pathogenic relevance of Lactobacillus: a retrospective review of over 200 cases. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2005;24(1):31–40. doi: 10.1007/s10096-004-1253-y. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Salvana EM, Frank M. Lactobacillus endocarditis: case report and review of cases reported since 1992. J Infect. 2006;53(1):e5–10. doi: 10.1016/j.jinf.2005.10.005. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Salminen MK, Rautelin H, Tynkkynen S, Poussa T, Saxelin M, Valtonen V, Järvinen A. Lactobacillus bacteremia, clinical significance, and patient outcome, with special focus on probiotic L. rhamnosus GG. Clin Infect Dis. 2004;38(1):62–9. doi: 10.1086/380455. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Cooper CD, Vincent A, Greene JN, Sandin RL, Cobian L. Lactobacillus bacteremia in febrile neutropenic patients in a cancer hospital. Clin Infect Dis. 1998;26(5):1247–8. doi: 10.1086/598365. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Husni RN, Gordon SM, Washington JA, Longworth DL. Lactobacillus bacteremia and endocarditis: review of 45 cases. Clin Infect Dis. 1997;25(5):1048–55. doi: 10.1086/516109. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources