Plesiomonas shigelloides pneumonia

Med Mal Infect. 2009 Jun;39(6):397-400. doi: 10.1016/j.medmal.2008.11.010. Epub 2009 Jan 23.

Abstract

Plesiomonas shigelloides is known to cause mild to cholera-like diarrhea in most infected persons. In immunocompromised patients extra-intestinal manifestations have been described. We report the first case of pneumonia caused by P. shigelloides in a 76-year-old woman who had undergone a curative gastrectomy and esophageal-jejunostomy due to a low differentiated adenocarcinoma of the stomach (pT2, pN1 pMx, G3, R0, Lauren: intestinal type). The patient was admitted in hospital with clinical signs of pulmonary infection. CT-scan revealed a cavernous lesion in the right upper pulmonary lobe. Bronchial lavage showed a granulocytic inflammation 105CFU/ml P. shigelloides. Although antibiotic treatment led to a decrease of inflammation parameters and decrease of the pulmonary infiltrate the patient died due to development of torsades de pointes tachycardia leading to ventricular fibrillation and hypoxic brain damage.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adenocarcinoma / surgery*
  • Aged
  • Female
  • Gastrectomy / adverse effects*
  • Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / diagnostic imaging
  • Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / drug therapy
  • Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / etiology*
  • Humans
  • Inflammation / microbiology
  • Jejunostomy / adverse effects*
  • Plesiomonas*
  • Radiography
  • Stomach Neoplasms / surgery*
  • Tachycardia / etiology
  • Torsades de Pointes / etiology
  • Unconsciousness / etiology
  • Ventricular Fibrillation / etiology