Streptococcus pseudoporcinus bacteremia in a patient with skin and soft tissue infection. A case report and literature review.

Abstract

Streptococcus pseudoporcinus is a beta-hemolytic Streptococcus species arranged in short chains, which was first described in 2006. In the last years, there have been several reports of human infections by this bacterium, with five skin and soft tissue infections identified. Herein, a case of S. pseudoporcinus skin and soft tissue infection in a patient, who also developed bacteremia and was successfully treated with intravenous antibiotics, is reported. A 67-year-old man with a history of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma presented to the emergency department because of fever, redness, swelling, and pain in the left lower limb. He was admitted to the medical ward, diagnosed with severe non-purulent skin and soft tissue infection, and treated empirically with intravenous piperacillin/tazobactam at 4.5 gr thrice daily and daptomycin at 10mg/kg once daily. Blood cultures were obtained before the initiation of the antibiotics and grew S. pseudoporcinus. Treatment was de-escalated to ceftriaxone at a dose of 2 gr once daily. He completed two weeks of intravenous antimicrobial treatment. S. pseudoporcinus is an emerging pathogen associated with skin and soft tissue infections, bacteremia, and other invasive, potentially life-threatening infections. Further investigation is warranted to clarify this microorganism's pathogenesis and biological significance.