Soft tissue infections with arcanobacterium haemolyticum: Report of three cases

Abstract

We report here three polymicrobial wound infections associated with Arcanobacterium haemolyticum in rural patients aged between 60-65 years. In two patients, one with cellulitis and the other with postoperative wound infection following amputation of the limb, Arcanobacterium haemolyticum was isolated repeatedly along with β haemolytic streptococci (BHS). The BHS belonged to LanceÞ eld's group G and group C respectively. In another patient, who was a diabetic with chronic osteomyelitis, Arcanobacterium haemolyticum was isolated along with Proteus vulgaris. All the three isolates of Arcanobacterium haemolyticum isolated by us were uniformly resistant to cotrimoxazole and sensitive to penicillin, erythromycin, clindamycin, ciproß oxacin and gentamicin. Erythromycin alone or combined therapy of penicillin with erythromycin or penicillin with ciproß oxacin was effective in treating these infections.

Arcanobacterium haemolyticum Central Nervous System Abscess and Bacteremia Following Head Trauma

“…In addition, several cases of wound infections and osteomyelitis with this organism have been reported. In most of these cases A. haemolyticum appears to be one constituent of a polymicrobial infection, though in one report of a patient with osteomyelitis and sepsis A. haemolyticum was recovered in pure culture [6,11–12]. A. haemolyticum may rarely cause other invasive infections in immunocompetent hosts, including bacteremia, infective endocarditis, and pyothorax [13–15].…”