title: Mycoplasma hominis vertebral spine infection: Case report and a review of infections of bone and joints.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mycoplasma hominis (M. hominis) is a common commensal that colonizes the human urogenital tract, wherein it is also known to cause genito-urinary infections. It has rarely been reported to cause spinal infections.
  
  
  METHODS
  We describe the case of a 53-year old diabetic woman who developed spontaneous, culture-negative L3-4 osteomyelitis that progressed clinically and radiographically despite debridement, stabilization, and empiric broad-spectrum antimicrobial therapy. After her third debridement procedure, cultures of the multiple intraoperative specimens yielded M. hominis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A PubMed search identified a total of 4 reports of M. hominis causing spinal osteomyelitis and 22 other cases involving bones and joints.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  M. hominis is a rare cause of bone and joint infections. Because of low clinical suspicion for this pathogen, combined with its fastidious nature and the difficult growth characteristics of this organism, M. hominis infections may be unrecognized and untreated, resulting in high morbidity. In addition to bacterial culture, molecular tests are available to detect M. hominis in clinical samples. This case report and review of the literature suggest that, in some cases of purulent culture-negative osteomyelitis, especially if not responding to standard empiric antibacterial therapy, M. hominis should be considered as a potential pathogen.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA. Electronic address: tyner.harmony@mayo.edu.
authors.forename: Harmony L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Tyner
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Abinash
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Virk
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nassr
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Raymund
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Razonable
mesh_terms: D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007596:Joints / Q000382:microbiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009175:Mycoplasma Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D019535:Mycoplasma hominis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013131:Spine / Q000382:microbiology*
keywords: Hominis; Mycoplasma; Osteomyelitis; Purulent; Vertebral