Spacecraft bacterium, Paenibacillus pasadenensis, causing wound infection in humans.
In a patient with mediastinitis after cardiac surgery Paenibacillus pasadenensis was detected in his sternal wound. Paenibacilli are gram-positive, aerobic, bacteria related to bacilli. Until recently these organisms were not known to cause human disease. A few cases of human infection caused by another member of this genus, P alvei, have been reported. The authors describe the first infection with P pasadenensis in humans. P pasadenensis was detected by broad-range bacterial 16S rRNA PCR. Treatment consisted of surgical debridement and antibiotics, vancomycin and ciprofloxacin followed by clindamycin and ciprofloxacin, resulting in complete recovery.
Division of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. yvonne.fl ammer@usz.ch
Y Flammer
YF
Anikpeh
P
P
Keller
G V
GV
Bloemberg
J
J
Grünenfelder
A S
AS
Zinkernagel
D000368:Aged; D002315:Cardiopulmonary Bypass; D016908:Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008480:Mediastinitis / Q000382:microbiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D056507:Paenibacillus / Q000235:genetics; D018531:Spacecraft; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000209:etiology*