Affiliations: Department of Clinical Microbiology, Plovdiv Medical
University, Plovdiv, Bulgaria | Service of Microbiology, University Hospital
Marqués de Valdecilla, Santander, Spain | Institute of Microbiology, Bulgarian Academy of
Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria | Department of Clinical Pathology, Plovdiv Medical
University, Plovdiv, Bulgaria | National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases,
Sofia, Bulgaria | Department of Microbiology, Medical University,
Murcia, Spain
Note: [] Correspondence: Irina A. Haydushka, PhD, Department of Clinical
Microbiology, Plovdiv Medical University, st. 15a V. Aprilov, PO Box 4000
Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Tel.: +359 32 236950; Fax: +359 32 650270; E-mail:
[email protected]
Abstract: A premature child was born at 34–35 weeks gestation with aspiration
of amniotic fluid. Rupture of the amniotic sac occurred 3 day before delivery.
Two days later the child died. From the lungs, after 24 hours cultivation on
blood agar, a pure culture of small yellow pigmented colonies was isolated. All
other organs remained sterile. Gram stain revealed Gram-positive rods. The
strain was catalase positive and motile. The phospholipid and fatty acid
compositions were studied. Final identification was done using ApiCoryne
(BioMerieux) and the strain was proved as Oerskovia xanthineolytica. Disk
diffusion and E test were performed for antimicrobial susceptibility testing.
The strain was susceptible to vancomycin, imipenem and cotrimoxazole. This
report demonstrates the first fatal case with isolation of this microorganism
from the lungs of newborn.
