Eikenella corrodens osteomyelitis, arthritis, and cellulitis of the hand

Abstract

Eikenella corrodens was isolated from an orally contaminated hand wound which resulted in cellulitis, osteomyelitis, and arthritis. E corrodens is a gram-negative, microaerophilic bacillus which only lately has received attention as a possible pathogen. The organism grows characteristically as small, corroding, or pitting colonies on blood agar. It typically requires hemin or blood for reliable aerobic growth. Oral contamination of wounds predisposes to infection with E. corrodens. The management of these infections includes treatment with an effective antibiotic and surgical debridement. Because it is gram-negative, microaerophilic, and often difficult to isolate, infections caused by E corrodens may mimic those caused by gram-negative obligate anaerobes. However, E corrodens is resistant to clindamycin and lincomycin and sensitive to most other commonly used antimicrobial agents.