부산대학교 도서관

The deadly threat of systemic infections with coagulase negative Staphylococcus lugdunensisdespite an appropriate antibiotic therapy has only recently been recognized. The predominant infectious focus observed so far is left-sided native heart valve endocarditis, but bone and soft tissue infections, septicaemia and vascular catheter-related bloodstream infections have also been reported. We present a patient with a fatal Staphylococcus lugdunensissepticaemia following zoster bacterial superinfection of the pelvic region. A 71-year old male diagnosed with IgG kappa plasmocytoma presented with a conspicuous weight loss, a hypercalcaemic crisis and acute renal failure. After initiation of haemodialysis treatment his condition improved rapidly. However, he developed a varicella-zoster virus infection of the twelfth thoracic dermatome requiring intravenous acyclovir treatment. Four days later the patient presented with a fulminant septicaemia. Despite an early intravenous antibiotic therapy with ciprofloxacin, piperacillin/combactam and vancomycin the patient died within 48 hours, shortly before the infective isolate was identified as Staphylococcus lugdunensisby polymerase chain reaction. Despite S. lugdunensisbelonging to the family of coagulase-negative staphylococci with an usually low virulence, infections with S. lugdunensismay be associated with an aggressive course and high mortality. This is the first report on a Staphylococcus lugdunensissepticaemia following a zoster bacterial superinfection of the pelvic region.