Bacteremia caused by a strain of Desulfovibrio related to the provisionally named Desulfovibrio fairfieldensis

Eight isolates of Desulfovibrio spp. have been obtained over 5 years from a bdominal or brain abscesses or blood. Tn seven patients these strains were part of a mixed flora. One strain was isolated in pure culture from the blo od of a patient with peritonitis of appendicular origin. According to the 1 6S rRNA gene sequences, this strain,vas close to Desulfovibrio fairfieldens is. The present report describes the fourth isolate of this recently descri bed species to be isolated in pure culture or as a predominant part of the flora and to be associated with infectious processes. Thus, D. fairfieldens is may possess a higher pathogenic potential than other Desulfovibrio speci es.