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Case Reports
. 2020 Jun 18:21:e00876.
doi: 10.1016/j.idcr.2020.e00876. eCollection 2020.

Septic shock caused by Gardnerella vaginalis and Atopobium vaginae

Pauline Taillandier  1 , Camille Roingeard  2 , Jérémy Violette  3 , Franck-Marie Leclère  4 , Sébastien Faivre  5
Affiliations
Case Reports

Septic shock caused by Gardnerella vaginalis and Atopobium vaginae

Pauline Taillandier et al. IDCases. .

Abstract

Although bacterial vaginosis is the most common and benign vaginal infection worldwide, some cases of severe acute infections have been described in the literature. We report the case of a 57-year-old French female who developed a life-threatening postoperative peritonitis after a total hysterectomy with adnexectomy in the context of the removal of leiomyosarcoma. The microbiological analysis of the peritoneal fluid identified Gardnerella vaginalis and Atobopium vaginae. The final diagnosis was a septic shock induced by an early onset peritonitis caused by Gardnerella vaginalis and Atobopium vaginae. The normal flora of the genital area could lead to a serious life threatening postoperative infection and should always be in the differential diagnosis.

Keywords: Atopobium vaginae; Bacterial vaginosis; Gardnerella vaginalis; Postoperative infection; Postoperative peritonitis; Septic shock.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors are no conflicts of interest to declare.

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