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Mycobacterium mucogenicum from the Hickman line of an immunocompromised patient

Lookup NU author(s): Jesvin Samuel, Dr Angela Galloway, Dr Stephen Pedler

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Abstract

Gram stain of a positive blood culture is the clinician's first indication of a possible causative infective organism and a guide to suitable antimicrobial therapy prior to cultural and phenotypic identification with susceptibility test results. Occasionally interpretation of a Gram stain can be difficult; if there is a low bacterial load, no organisms may be seen. Such a case is reported, where a positive blood culture taken from the Hickman line of an immunocompromised patient flagged as positive at 5 days' incubation, but no organisms were seen on Gram film. On subculture, a slow growing Gram-positive bacillus was isolated which was initially misidentified and reported as a "diphtheroid'' species. The actual identity of this organism and further isolates was later elucidated as Mycobacterium mucogenicum, a rapidly growing non-tuberculous mycobacterium.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Marshall C, Samuel J, Galloway A, Pedler S

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Journal of Clinical Pathology

Year: 2008

Volume: 61

Issue: 1

Pages: 140-141

Date deposited: 21/06/2010

ISSN (print): 0021-9746

ISSN (electronic): 1472-4146

Publisher: BMJ Group

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jcp.2007.049486

DOI: 10.1136/jcp.2007.049486

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