Peritonitis due to Leuconostoc species in a child receiving peritoneal dialysis

Abstract

Leuconostoc species are rarely pathogenic in humans, but may cause infection in patients at risk. A 7-year-old girl with p-ANCA-positive crescentic glomerulonephritis, treated with peritoneal dialysis, developed peritonitis due to Leuconostoc species. She had a history of treatment with vancomycin and a brief course of immunosuppressive therapy. The peritonitis responded well to ampicillin therapy. To date, only 47 cases of Leuconostoc infection, including our patient, have been reported in the medical literature; 25 of the cases occurred in children. Only 1 prior case has been reported in the setting of peritoneal dialysis. The risk factors for Leuconostoc infections are not clear, but commonly associated conditions include immunocompromised status and indwelling medical devices. Leuconostoc species are easily misidentified as streptococci in culture, but they possess inherent resistance to vancomycin despite sensitivity to most other antibiotics. In patients with gram-positive peritonitis, Leuconostoc should be considered as a possible etiological agent, particularly if vancomycin resistance is noted in an organism thought to be a Streptococcus species.

Leuconostoc, characteristics, use in dairy technology and prospects in functional foods

“…mesenteroides subsp. cremoris are able to grow at 37 C (Barreau & Wagener, 1990;Aguirre & Collins, 1993;Giacometti, Ranaldi, Siquini, & Scalise, 1993;Kikuchi et al, 1994;Facklam & Elliott, 1995;Dhodapkar & Henry, 1996;del Nozal-Nalda, Jimenez-Mejias, Suarez, & Viciana, 1997;Jimenez-Mejias, Becerril, Gomez-Cia, del Nozal, & Palomino-Nicas, 1997;Nelson, 1998;Rodriguez, Saavedra, Fernandez-Jurado, & Prados, 1999;Schabereiter-Gurtner et al, 2001;Golan, Poutsiaka, Tozzi, Hadley, & Snydman, 2001;Gillespie, Symons, & Mc Donald, 2002;Vagiakou-Voudris et al, 2002;Deye, Lewis, Patterson, & Jorgensen, 2003;Fauchais et al, 2003).…”

A rarely seen cause for empyema: Leuconostoc mesenteroıdes

“…Serious infections due to Leuconostocs were recently described [6]. Risk factors for Leuconostoc infections are immunocompromised status and indwelling medical devices [7]. In literature; Leunostoc spp was identified in blood culture in a colon adenocarcinoma patient who had surgery followed by a chemotherapy and in a catheter infection resistant to vancomycin and teicoplanin in a patient who had undergone a shunt operation due to hydrocephaly [8].…”

Leuconostoc sp en pacientes con cáncer: Estudio descriptivo

“…Desde su primera descripción en 1985, se han identificado poblaciones susceptibles asociadas con los extremos de la vida, siendo los niños los más afectados y factores condicionantes la prematurez 14 , las anormalidades congénitas del tracto gastrointestinal y las quemaduras graves. Otros factores de riesgo identificados son la presencia de dispositivos tales como cánula de traqueostomia, gastrostomia, o tubos oro-traqueales [7][8][9] .…”