A Case of Meropenem-Resistant Ochrobactrum anthropi Bacteremia

ABSTRACT

Ochrobactrum anthropi is an oxidase-producing, non-lactose-fermenting, gram-negative bacillus that is frequently isolated from the environment including sinks, baths, soil, and hospital water sources. Recently O. anthropi have been reported as an emerging opportunistic pathogen in immunocompromised patients, particularly in those with indwelling venous catheters. Most O. anthropi were highly resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics except carbapenem. We report a case of O. anthropi bacteremia with an unusual pattern of antibiotic resistance compared to previous reports. A 47-year-old woman undergoing camptobell/cisplatin chemotherapy via indwelling venous catheter (chemoport) for stage IV ovarian cancer, had septicemia due to O. anthropi of unknown origin. The isolates were resistant to all beta-lactams and meropenem and susceptible to aminoglycoside, ciprofloxacin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. She recovered from sepsis with combination treatment with imipenem and ciprofloxacin for 3 weeks.