FLAVIMONAS ORYZIHABITANS BACTEREMIA - CLINICAL-FEATURES AND MICROBIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ISOLATES

Flavimonas oryzihabitans is rarely reported as a pathogen in humans. T welve cases of F. oryzihabitans bacteremia were diagnosed at National Taiwan University Hospital over a 3-year period. The clinical features of these patients were analyzed, and antimicrobial susceptibilities a nd random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) patterns of the 12 isolates were studied. Among these 12 patients, eight (67%) had underlying neo plastic diseases and all acquired F. oryzihabitans bacteremia while ho spitalized. The clinical syndromes included primary bacteremia in 5 pa tients (42%), biliary tract infection in 3 (25%), and peritonitis, sub dural empyema, infusion-related bacteremia, and pneumonia in I each. P olymicrobial bacteremia or concomitant fungemia was seen in three pati ents (25%). All the patients survived after antibiotic treatment. All isolates were susceptible to piperacillin, third-generation cephalospo rins, aminoglycosides, and quinolones but resistant to cephalothin, ce furoxime, and trimethoprim. Susceptibility to aztreonam was variable ( 25%). The RAPD patterns differed among the isolates, indicating the ep idemiological unrelatedness of these infections. F. oryzihabitans shou ld be included as an etiology of severe nosocomial infection in patien ts with underlying debilitating diseases.