title: The expanding spectrum of human infections caused by Kocuria species: a case report and literature review.
abstract: Although not previously known to cause human infections, Kocuria species have now emerged as human pathogens, mostly in compromised hosts with severe underlying disease. Recently, there has been an increasing incidence of different types of Kocuria infections reported, most likely due to the adoption of better identification methods. Here, we report a case of peritonitis caused by Kocuria rosea in a diabetic nephropathy patient who was on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. Sepsis and peritonitis caused by K. rosea in our case yielded two identical Kocuria isolates from the peritoneal dialysate fluid within a period of three days. The infection was subsequently resolved by antibiotic treatment and catheter removal. In addition to reporting this case, we herein review the literature concerning the emergence of Kocuria as a significant human pathogen. The majority of cases were device-related, acquired in the hospital or endogenous, and different Kocuria species appear to share a common etiology of peritonitis. The overall disease burden associated with Kocuria appears to be high, and the treatment guidelines for diseases associated with Kocuria have not yet been clearly defined.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) , Pondicherry 605 014, India.
authors.forename: Shashikala
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Purty
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Pondicherry University, R. Venkataraman Nagar, Kalapet , Pondicherry 605 014, India.
authors.forename: Rajagopalan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Saranathan
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Pondicherry University, R. Venkataraman Nagar, Kalapet , Pondicherry 605 014, India.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Prashanth
authors.affiliation: Pondicherry Medical Mission , Pondicherry 605 003, India.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Narayanan
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) , Pondicherry 605 014, India.
authors.forename: Johny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Asir
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) , Pondicherry 605 014, India.
authors.forename: Chandrakesan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sheela Devi
authors.affiliation: Manipal Cure and Care, Bengaluru 560 008 , Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Satish
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kumar Amarnath
keywords: CAPD; Kocuria rosea; peritonitis