Biliary tract infections caused by Enterococcus gallinarum and Escherichia coli: a rare case report
Enterococcus gallinarum (E. gallinarum), an opportunistic pathogen with intrinsic resistance to vancomycin, has rarely been reported as a predominant pathogen responsible for biliary tract infections. Here, we report a case of biliary tract infections caused by E. gallinarum and Escherichia coli (E. coli) in a 57-year-old Chinese woman with symptoms of upper abdomen pain for 10 days. The patient initially received empiric treatment with cefmetazole but failed to improve. Subsequently, bile cultures identified E. gallinarum and E. coli, and cefmetazole was switched to linezolid and meropenem based on drug susceptibility testing. After 10 days of antibiotic therapy, the patient successfully recovered and was discharged from the hospital. The findings of this case remind us that E. gallinarum may be the causative factor of biliary tract infections, and timely identification of the causative organism and appropriate antibiotic treatment is important for optimal patient recovery.
A 57-year-old Chinese woman presented to our hospital with upper abdominal pain lasting 10 days. She was admitted and underwent surgery. Samples of bacteria taken during the surgery showed that she was infected with two types of bad bacteria, E. gallinarum and Escherichia coli (E. coli). E. gallinarum is resistant to an antibiotic called vancomycin and rarely causes infections of the biliary tract, so treating these infections is challenging. The patient was treated with the antibiotics linezolid and meropenem for 10 days and then discharged from the hospital. This case highlights that, while rare, E. gallinarum can cause biliary tract infections.
Biliary tract infections caused by Enterococcus gallinarum are extremely rare.
Clinicians should remain concerned about Enterococcus gallinarum infections.
Bacterial culture and drug sensitivity testing are very important for the timely identification of Enterococcus gallinarum and appropriate treatment.
