Ochrobactrum anthropi-Caused Osteomyelitis in the Foot Mimicking a Bone Tumor: Case Report and Review of the Literature

J Foot Ankle Surg. 2017 Jul-Aug;56(4):851-853. doi: 10.1053/j.jfas.2017.02.008.

Abstract

Osteomyelitis due to Ochrobactrum anthropi, a new genus Ochrobacterum widely distributed in the environment and occasionally associated with human infection, has been described in only a few case reports. We present a report of an unusual case of osteomyelitis caused by O. anthropi that was identified 9 years after a nail puncture to the lateral cuneiform bone. The patient was an 18-year-old male with a painful foot lesion that had originally been misdiagnosed as an osteolytic tumor. He underwent surgery and 2 firm pieces of rubber measuring 7 and 10 mm were removed from the lower portion of the lateral cuneiform bone, which appeared to be affected by an infection. After surgical debridement, O. anthropi was isolated from the bone cultures. The patient was successfully treated with a 6-week course of oral ciprofloxacin and clindamycin. At 1 year after the corrected diagnosis and appropriate treatment, he was symptom free and had resumed regular activities and an athletic lifestyle.

Keywords: Ochrobactrum anthropi; foreign body; osteomyelitis.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
  • Bone Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Ciprofloxacin / therapeutic use
  • Clindamycin / therapeutic use
  • Debridement
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / complications
  • Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / diagnosis
  • Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / microbiology*
  • Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / therapy
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Ochrobactrum anthropi / isolation & purification*
  • Osteomyelitis / diagnosis*
  • Osteomyelitis / diagnostic imaging
  • Osteomyelitis / microbiology*
  • Osteomyelitis / therapy
  • Wounds, Penetrating / microbiology*
  • Wounds, Penetrating / therapy

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Clindamycin
  • Ciprofloxacin