title: Kerstersia gyiorum Isolated from a Bronchoalveolar Lavage in a Patient with a Chronic Tracheostomy.
abstract: The use of the matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) generates rapid microbial identification. We are presenting a case of a 63-year-old woman with a medical history of chronic tracheostomy admitted for hypotension and fevers to illustrate the clinical implication of MALDI-TOF MS on bacterial identification. Kerstersia gyiorum was identified from the bronchoalveolar lavage isolate. Kerstersia gyiorum has been isolated from human sputum samples, and may be a previously unrecognized colonizer of the upper respiratory tract. Thus, patients with long-term tracheotomies or who are chronically aspirating may be at risk of lower respiratory infection with this organism. Increased use of MALDI-TOF MS in the clinical setting may increase reporting of this atypical isolate.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, Oakland, CA 94611, USA.
authors.forename: Meredith
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deutscher
authors.affiliation: Pharmacy Department, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH 43205, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Severing
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, University Hospital East, 1492 East Broad Street, Columbus, OH 43205, USA.
authors.forename: Joan-Miquel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Balada-Llasat