Sarcina ventriculi a rare pathogen

Abstract

Sarcina ventriculi is a gram-positive bacterium, able to survive in extreme low pH environment. It's first description dates from 1842, by John Goodsir. Since then, just a few cases have been reported. In veterinary medicine, especially in ruminants, it causes bloating, vomiting, gastric perforation and death of the animal. It is commonly associated with delayed gastric emptying or obstruction to gastric outlet, although it's pathogenicity in humans is not fully understood. We report two cases with identification of the bacteria in gastric specimens stained with hematoxylin-eosin staining, in different clinical settings. The first patient is a young female patient, presenting cardiac arrest and death after gastric perforation and the second patient an adult male presenting with gastric adenocarcinoma, treated with partial gastrectomy followed by adjuvant chemoradiation. In our literature review, we identified forty-five cases reporting Sarcina ventriculi appearance, with a sudden increase since 2010.

Keywords: Clostridium; Gastroparesis; Sarcina.

Figure 1. Photomicrograph of the stomach. A – Sarcina ventriculi identification in stomach specimen sampled during necropsy (H&E, 10x); B – Sarcina ventriculi identification in stomach specimen sampled during necropsy (H&E, 100x).

Figure 2. Photomicrograph of the stomach. A – Sarcina ventriculi identification in stomach specimen after gastrectomy (H&E, 10x); B – Sarcina ventriculi identification in stomach specimen after gastrectomy (H&E, 40x).