Journal of medical microbiology
-
Owing to the difficulties in identifying anaerobic, non-sporulating, Gram-positive bacilli in clinical microbiology laboratories, the epidemiology and clinical spectrum of disease of many of these bacteria have been poorly understood. The application of 16S rRNA gene sequencing in characterizing bacteraemia due to anaerobic, non-sporulating Gram-positive bacilli during a 4-year period is described. The first case of Olsenella uli bacteraemia, in a patient with acute cholangitis, is also reported. ⋯ Immunocompromised patients with clinically significant bacteraemia due to anaerobic, non-sporulating, Gram-positive bacilli other than P. acnes should be treated with appropriate antibiotics. The unexpected frequency of isolation of Eggerthella from blood cultures and its association with clinically significant disease suggest that this genus is probably of high pathogenicity. Further studies to look for specific virulence factors are warranted.