2018 Volume 55 Issue 1 Pages 19-22
In this report, we focus on a case of bacteremia caused by Gordonia sp. A 3-year-old boy with B-cell precursor lymphoblastic leukemia was admitted to our hospital owing to persistent fever during intermittent maintenance therapy. On the basis of cultures of blood samples from the central venous catheter, the patient was diagnosed as having bacteremia caused by catheter contamination. The microorganisms were first thought to be Corynebacterium-like spp., but were later identified as Gordonia sp. by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The patient was successfully treated for the catheter-associated infection by replacing the contaminated catheter was removed and the administration of antibiotics for five weeks. Gordonia sp. infections are difficult to diagnose by bacterial culture alone, and the infections may be severe in immunosuppressed patients. Analysis by 16S rRNA sequencing is warranted to identify Gordonia sp. as needed.
