Bacteremia and pharyngotonsillitis por Capnocytophaga sputigena in an immunocompromised pediatric patient

Abstract

Capnocytophaga sputigena is part of the human oral microbiota, causing opportunistic infections in immunocompromised patients.

A clinical case is presented in a teenager patient who, after a hematopoietic stem cell transplant, developed an episode of febrile neutropenia with pharyngotonsillitis secondary to mucositis. The microbiological identification in both the oral lesions culture and in the blood was C. sputigena. Antimicrobial management was with piperacillin-tazobactam, with a favorable clinical evolution.

The importance of clinical suspicion of unusual bacterial agents in immunocompromised patients with febrile neutropenia, mucositis or fever without a focus is highlighted. The appropriate collection of clinical samples should be considered, as well as the optimization of culture media and to prolong the incubation time to increase the microbial identification.