Osteomyelitis of the Distal Phalanx of the Thumb due to Parvimonas micra and Fusobacterium nucleatum: A Case Report

Abstract

We herein report a case of osteomyelitis of the distal phalanx of the thumb of a 55-year-old man caused by Parvimonas micra and Fusobacterium nucleatum. Osteomyelitis often occurs in long bones and rarely occurs in the bones of fingers. In addition, osteomyelitis of the finger is frequently caused after trauma or surgery, and blood-borne infection is very rare. P. micra and F. nucleatum, normal flora of the oral cavity, are very rare pathogenic bacteria of osteomyelitis except in periodontal disease, and there are no previous reports regarding the occurrence of osteomyelitis due to P. micra and F. nucleatum in the finger bones.

Destructive osteomyelitis involvingParvimonas micraandCampylobacter rectus

“…Invasive infections, especially osteomyelitis, with P. micra as well as C. rectus are rare 5 15 19. In our patient, diagnosis could be confirmed by growth in standard cultures of the sternum as well as in standard cultures from the surrounding tissue.…”

“…Invasive infections, especially osteomyelitis, with P. micra as well as C. rectus are rare. 5 15 19 In our patient, diagnosis could be confirmed by growth in standard cultures of the sternum as well as in standard cultures from the surrounding tissue. However, the detection of P. micra as well as C. rectus in the standard media is difficult, 24 but nevertheless, P. micra was identified in standard cultures.…”

“… 1 2 Most commonly, primary osteomyelitis is caused by a single pathogen, and Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa being the most common pathogens. 3 4 Only a limited number of case reports have reported about particular osteomyelitis due to Parvimonas micra , for example, in the distal phalanx of the thumb 5 or hip joint, 6 but no article has been found about osteomyelitis of the sternum caused by P. micra or Campylobacter rectus .…”

Sternoclavicular Septic Arthritis Caused by <i>Parvimonas micra</i> and <i>Fusobacterium nucleatum</i> Infection with Intra-articular Corticosteroid Administration

“…The most prevalent pathogens causing polymicrobial septic arthritis are coagulase-negative S. aureus (31% of cases), followed by methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (29%) and Enterococcus (24%) ( 6 ). Polymicrobial anaerobic infection with P. micra and F. nucleatum is rare in bone and soft tissue infections and has been reported in spinal discitis ( 7 ) as well as osteomyelitis of the thumb's distal phalanx ( 8 ). However, P. micra and F. nucleatum have been reported to show synergistic effects of biofilm formation, and these effects may be crucial for colonization in apical periodontitis lesions ( 9 ).…”

Parvimonas micra Causing Emphysematous Osteomyelitis

“…Although there has not been a case of P. micra EO described in the literature, there are several instances of musculoskeletal infection including spondylodiskitis, septic arthritis, and typical osteomyelitis [11][12][13][14] . This patient developed a massive deep vein thrombosis in the affected extremity.…”