Stenotrophomonas Maltophilia/S. Maltophilia Sepsis Presenting with Perianal Cellulitis and Pneumonia in a Leukemic Child

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia infections are increasingly seen in immunocompromised patients, as it is an opportunistic pathogen with low virulence (1). Risk factors for S. maltophilia infection include prolonged hospitalization in intensive care units, medical devices, use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, and malignancy (1,2). Infections are more prevalent during severe neutropenic periods, and in cases in which immunosuppression develops; however, its mode of transmission is not clear. It is thought to invade from damaged mucous membranes and central venous catheters through colonization (2). This case emphasizes how difficult it is to distinguish between invasive bacterial infections and fungal infections in patients with severe neutropenia, as well as that skin infections can be associated with S. maltophilia.