Keywords
Bacteremia
Sepsis
Blood Culture
Hospital-Acquired Infection
Opportunistic Infections
Categories
Abstract
Introduction: Sphingomonas paucimobilis is a non-fermenting Gram-negative bacillus considered a low-virulence opportunistic pathogen. Although infections caused by this microorganism are uncommon, the number of reported cases has increased in recent years, particularly among patients with comorbidities, immunosuppression, or exposure to invasive procedures. Bacteremia is its most common clinical manifestation, and the diagnosis is primarily established through microbiological isolation from blood cultures, which enables targeted antimicrobial therapy based on the organism's susceptibility profile. Case presentation: We report the case of an 88-year-old woman with right-sided colon cancer and multiple comorbidities who developed abdominal septic shock following ileostomy during hospitalization. Blood cultures yielded Sphingomonas paucimobilis, confirming the diagnosis and guiding antimicrobial treatment, with subsequent favorable clinical outcome. Conclusions: This case highlights the importance of considering S. paucimobilis in the differential diagnosis of bacteremia in hospitalized patients with predisposing factors and underscores the essential role of microbiological isolation in establishing a timely diagnosis and initiating appropriate targeted antimicrobial therapy.
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