Open AccessProsthetic joint infection after total hip arthroplasty caused by Sneathia sanguinegens
Author(s) -
Shohei Kawakami,
Ken Iwata,
Masashi Shimamura,
Tasuku Mashiba,
Kyoko Yokota,
Kiyoshi Negayama,
Kiyofumi Ohkusu,
Toshiyuki Yamamoto
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.59
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1536-5964
pISSN - 0025-7974
DOI - 10.1097/md.0000000000022494
Subject(s) - medicine , osteoarthritis , surgery , implant , synovial fluid , arthroplasty , debridement (dental) , antibiotic therapy , antibiotics , total hip arthroplasty , abscess , pathology , microbiology and biotechnology , alternative medicine , biology
Sneathia sanguinegens ( S sanguinegens) is a gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium mostly reported to cause a perinatal infection, and there are no reports of S sanguinegens in prosthetic joint infection (PJI). The purpose of this report is to describe a very rare case of PJI after total hip arthroplasty (THA) caused by S sanguinegens . Patient concerns: A 79-year-old woman presented with right coxalgia, inability to walk, and a fever of 39°C. She had undergone THA 28 years earlier for osteoarthritis of the hip. Diagnoses: The diagnosis was acute late-onset PJI, because blood tests revealed marked inflammatory reaction and computed tomography showed an abscess at the right hip joint; synovial fluid analysis resulted in detection of a gram-negative bacillus. Intervention: Surgical debridement with retention of the implant and antibiotic therapy was performed. Outcomes: One month after surgery, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay showed that the pathogen was 99.9% likely to be S sanguinegens . There has been no recurrence of infection or loosening of the implant in the 2 years since her surgery. Lessons: PCR should facilitate detection of previously unknown pathogens and potentially novel bacterial species.