Multi-organ failure caused by lasagnas: A case report of Bacillus cereus food poisoning

Front Pediatr. 2022 Sep 14:10:978250. doi: 10.3389/fped.2022.978250. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

We report a Bacillus cereus, cereulide producing strain, food poisoning of two sisters. After eating a few bites of pasta cooked 3 days earlier, a 13-year-old girl developed mild symptoms. However, her 11-year-old sister suffered, 40 h after ingestion of the entire platter, a multi-organ failure including acute liver failure, rhabdomyolysis, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and acute kidney injury (AKI). She received supportive care in pediatric intensive care using mechanical ventilation, hemofiltration, and high-doses vasopressors. She was specifically treated for toxin-mediated disease using blood purification and further digestive decontamination. This report highlights the potential severity of B. cereus food poisoning but also a successful dual treatment including toxin removal and antimicrobial treatment to prevent toxin production.

Keywords: Bacillus cereus; continuous venovenous hemofiltration; food poisoning; liver failure acute; pediatrics; sepsis.

Publication types

  • Case Reports