A Case of Sigmoid Colon Carcinoma Associated with Septic Shock Caused by Streptococcus Bovis

Abstract

A 79-year-old man presented with pleural effusion and ascites was found to have sigmoid colon carcinoma in June 2015 and was referred to our department for the purpose of surgery in July. After admission, however, he suddenly developed chill and high fever and went into shock. Streptococcus bovis (S. bovis) was isolated from a blood culture, and septic shock was diagnosed. His general condition was improved by administration of antimicrobial agents and laparoscopic-assisted sigmoidectomy was performed in August. The postoperative course was uneventful and he was discharged from our hospital on the 12^th postoperative day. The pathological diagnosis was T2 (MP), N0, M0, pStage I. S. bovis is an enterobacterium. It exists in the enterobacterial flora in about 10% of healthy individuals, but it is reported that as high as 29 to 59% of patients with colorectal cancer carry S. bovis. We sometimes encounter clinical reports that early colorectal cancer presented with S. bovis bacteremia. Our understanding of the correlation between S. bovis and colorectal cancer appears to be important clinically, and thus we present our case with a review of the literature.