Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Agrobacterium yellow group: bacteremia and possible septic arthritis following peripheral blood stem cell transplantation

Abstract

A 47-year-old male patient developed sepsis and monoarticular arthritis following autologous stem cell transplantation for recurrent Hodgkin's disease. Blood cultures were positive for Agrobacterium yellow group. The knee pain and swelling responded promptly to the institution of empirical broad-spectrum antibiotics. Recurrent bacteremia developed necessitating Hickman line removal for eventual resolution of the infection. Transplant physicians should be aware of this unusual pathogen and the potential for both persistent line-related sepsis and possible septic arthritis. Bone Marrow Transplantation (2000) 26, 101–104.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Edmond MB, Riddler SA, Baxter CM et al. Agrobacterium radiobacter: a recently recognized opportunistic pathogen Clin Infect Dis 1993 16: 388–391

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Hulse M, Johnson S, Ferrieri P . Agrobacterium infections in humans: experience at one hospital and review Clin Infect Dis 1993 16: 112–117

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Alnor D, Frimodt-Moller N, Espersen F et al. Infections with the unusual human pathogens Agrobacterium species and Ochrobactrum anthropi Clin Infect Dis 1994 18: 914–920

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Swann RA, Foulkes SJ, Holmes B et al. ‘Agrobacterium yellow group’ and Pseudomonas paucimobilis causing peritonitis in patients receiving continuous ambulatory peritonealdialysis J Clin Pathol 1985 38: 1293–1299

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards. Performance standards for antimicrobial susceptibility testing Wayne, PA 1999; 19: M100–S9

    Google Scholar 

  6. Maki DG, Weise CE, Sarafin HW . A semiquantitative culture method for identifying intravenous catheter-related infection New Engl J Med 1977 296: 1305–1309

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Schreckenberger PC, von Graevenitz A . Acinetobacter, Achromobacter, Alcaligenes, Moraxella, Methylobacterium and other nonfermentative gram-negative rods. In: Murraz PR, Baron EJ, Pfallen MA et al. (eds) Manual of Clinical Microbiology ASM Press: Washington 1999 539–560

    Google Scholar 

  8. Rahman MU, Hudson AP, Schumacher HR Jr . Chlamydia and Reiter's syndrome (reactive arthritis) Rheum Dis Clin North Am 1992 18: 67–79

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Sieper J, Braun J . Reactive arthritis Curr Opin Rheumatol 1999 11: 238–243

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Cohen JI, Bartlett JA, Corey GR . Extra-intestinal manifestations of Salmonella infections Medicine 1987 66: 349–388

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Cooper C, Cawley MI . Bacterial arthritis in an English health district: a 10 year review Ann Rheum Dis 1986 45: 458–463

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Newman ED, Davis DE, Harrington TM . Septic arthritis due to gram-negative bacilli: older patients with good outcome J Rheumatol 1988 15: 659–662

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Sack K . Monoarthritis: differential diagnosis Am J Med 1997 102: 30S–34S

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Smith JW, Piercy EA . Infectious arthritis. In: Mandell GL, Benett JE, Dolin R (eds) Principles and Practice of Infectious Disease Churchill Livingstone: New York 1995 1034

    Google Scholar 

  15. Syrogiannopoulos GA, Nelson JD . Duration of antimicrobial therapy for acute suppurative osteoarticular infections Lancet 1988 1: 37–40

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Brun-Buisson C, Abrouk F, Legrand P et al. Diagnosis of central venous catheter-related sepsis: critical level of quantitative tip cultures Arch Intern Med 1987 147: 873–877

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Douard MC, Clementi E, Arlet G et al. Negative catheter-tip culture and diagnosis of catheter-related bacteremia Nutrition 1994 10: 397–404

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Fan ST, Teoh-Chan CH, Lau KF . Evaluation of central venous catheter sepsis by differential quantitative blood culture Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 1989 2: 142–144

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Yu WL, Wang DY, Lin CW . Agrobacterium radiobacter bacteremia in a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease J Formos Med Assoc 1997 96: 664–666

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Castagnola E, Conte M, Venzano P et al. Broviac catheter-related bacteraemias due to unusual pathogens in children with cancer: case reports with literature review J Infect 1997 34: 215–218

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Freney J, Gruer LD, Bornstein N et al. Septicemia caused by Agrobacterium sp J Clin Microbiol 1985 22: 683–685

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  22. Cain JR . A case of septicaemia caused by Agrobacterium radiobacter (letter) J Infect 1988 16: 205–206

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Yves Chalandon is supported by a grant from the ‘Fond de perfectionnement 1998/1999’ from University Hospital of Geneva, Switzerland. The authors would like to thank Ingrid Pocock, Special Bacteriology, Provincial Laboratory, BCCDC, for identification of the isolate.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Chalandon, Y., Roscoe, D. & Nantel, S. Agrobacterium yellow group: bacteremia and possible septic arthritis following peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. Bone Marrow Transplant 26, 101–104 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bmt.1702470

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bmt.1702470

Keywords

Search

Quick links