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Gram stain showing pleomorphic Gram-negative bacilli. Bar, 10 µm.
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We report a case of catheter-associated Elizabethkingia miricola bacteraemia in a haemodialysis patient. The patient was a 73-year-old home haemodialysis patient who presented with a history of recurrent falls and fevers. Blood cultures grew Gram-negative bacilli identified by MALDI-TOF MS (matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight...
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... of the septic episode. Ceftriaxone was started as he had a history of non-anaphylactoid penicillin allergy (mild rash). His CRP had risen to 222 mg l −1 . On the second day of his admission his blood cultures from the arterial and venous lumens of his tunnelled dialysis line both flagged positive with an unusual pleomorphic Gram-negative bacillus (Fig. 1). Ciprofloxacin (250 mg twice daily) was added in to his therapeutic regimen as there was concern from the Gram stain morphology that the organism could be Pseudomonas aeruginosa and his line was removed. By day 3 he had improved clinically, his inflammatory markers were starting to decrease (peripheral white cell count 14.3×10 9 and ...
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Citations
... E. miricola is Gram-negative, aerobic, pale yellowpigmented, nonmotile, non-spore-forming, oxidase-positive, and nitrate-negative bacilli and was ubiquitously distributed in natural environments such as water, soils, fish, frogs, and insects [6,7]. As a medically important species of Elizabethkingia, this bacterium was reported to cause multitype infections in humans, especially in immunocompromised populations and newborn children, such as encephalitis [8], sepsis [9], bacteremia [10], joint infection [11], urinary tract infection [12], and pulmonary abscess [3]. Recently, the reports about E. miricola-caused infection in other animals, such as dogs, cats, and frogs [13], are increasing, indicating this bacterium may be an important zoonosis pathogen. ...
Elizabethkingia miricola is an emerging nosocomial pathogen responsible for meningitis, sepsis, urinary tract infection, pneumonia, and joint infection in humans. These pathogens were also reported to be causal agents for meningitis-like disease in cultured frogs, which displayed high infectivity, mortality, and significant loss. In July 2023, 10 outbreaks of infectious meningitis-like disease in bullfrogs occurred in Tangshan area. To determine the causal agent, 70 diseased frogs from 10 farms were collected for etiological identification. Gram-negative bacilli were isolated from the brain and liver of sick bullfrogs and identified as members of E. miricola by biochemical characterization and 16S rRNA sequencing analysis. A total of 42 strains of E. miricola were isolated and further determined as the etiological agent by reproducing neurological symptoms and deaths in an artificial infection test. A representative isolate, HBTS-1, was picked up for the pathogenicity test, and the data showed that this stain was highly pathogenic to bullfrogs with an LD50 of 3.7 × 10⁵ CFU. Notably, the isolate also showed high pathogenicity to 5-day-old suckling mice, with an LD50 of 3.1 × 10⁶ CFU, indicating its potential threat to mammals. Moreover, all the 42 E. miricola isolates showed resistance to multiple antibotics without an apparent inhibition zone observed in the test, making the choice of antimicrobial therapy challenging. These novel findings prioritized E. miricola as an important zoonotic agent, which may provide a reference for human medicine.
An outbreak of morbidity and mortality in an African dwarf frog ( Hymenochirus curtipes) colony was reported following arrival at an animal research facility. Animals were found dead on arrival or became moribund shortly thereafter, and additional animals showed clinical signs of lethargy, weight loss, and anorexia over the following 3 weeks. Externally, some affected animals presented with multifocal areas of hyperemia in the inguinal and axillary areas and on the limbs, and mottled tan discoloration along the ventral abdomen. Histologically, lesions were consistent with generalized septicemia, characterized by granulomatous meningitis, otitis media, peritonitis (coelomitis), myocarditis and pericarditis, nephritis, pneumonia, and arthritis. Gram staining identified gram-negative rod-shaped bacteria free within tissues and within macrophages. Culture results of coelomic swabs identified moderate to numerous Elizabethkingia miricola. Testing of water from tanks housing affected animals showed elevated levels of nitrites and ammonia, and the presence of Citrobacter, Aeromonas, Pseudomonas, and Staphylococcus spp. cultured from several tank biofilters. E miricola is a newly recognized and rapidly emerging opportunistic pathogen in anurans and has been reported as a cause of septicemia in humans. This report documents the first occurrence of E. miricola septicemia in African dwarf frogs and illustrates the importance of this potential pathogen in the laboratory setting for amphibian research colonies, as well as those individuals directly working with them.
