A Case of Severe Infectious Enteritis due to Aeromonas Caviae after Right Hemicolectomy

Abstract

A 78-year-old man underwent laparoscopic right hemicolectomy for ascending colon cancer (T3N0M0, Stage IIa). He was discharged home 14 days after surgery. He ate tuna sashimi at his home a week after his discharge, after which watery stool and difficulty in oral intake were observed. At the time of his outpatient visit, he had severe dehydration, and computed tomography showed acute enteritis. He was started on fluid replacement therapy and admitted on an emergency basis. Aeromonas caviae was detected on stool culture, and bacterial enteritis was diagnosed. After admission, his general condition improved, and he was discharged home on the 15th day. Enteritis after colon cancer surgery, pseudomembranous enteritis due to Clostridium difficile, and postoperative ischemic enteritis are common, and bacterial enteritis is rare. Aeromonas is a causative agent of food poisoning, but there are few reports of enteritis in postoperative patients, and this case is considered to have shown a rare course.