[Bacteremia Due to Bacillus subtilis: A Case Report and Clinical Evaluation of 10 Cases]

Abstract

A 59-year-old male presented with fever, and was admitted for bacteremia due to gram-positive rod. All 5 sets of blood cultures obtained prior to the initiation of vancomycin tested positive for Bacillus subtilis. Based on the susceptibility test result, the antibiotics were changed to levofloxacin to complete a total of fourteen days treatment. The patient recovered without relapse over one year. Despite thorough examinations, the portal of entry of B. subtilis remained unclear. We retrospectively reviewed ten cases of bacteremia due to B. subtilis over 5 years in our hospital. The cases with positive B. subtilis blood cultures which were evaluated as contamination were excluded from the review. The most common portal of entry of B. subtilis was secondary bacteremia due to perforation or ileus (70%), followed by an unknown site (30%). B. subtilis should be considered not only as a contaminant but also as a true pathogen of bacteremia.