Dialister pneumosintes and aortic graft infection – a case report

Abstract

Abstract Background: Dialister pneumosintes is an anaerobic, gram negative bacillus, found in the human oral cavity and associated with periodontitis. Recent case reports implicate D. pneumosintes in local infection such as dental root canals, sinusitis, Lemierres syndrome and brain abscesses, as well as distal infections of the liver and lung through haematogenous spread. Case presentation: We present a novel case of an aortic graft infection in a 75 year old Caucasian male, associated with D. pneumonintes bacteraemia. Microbiological evaluation of septic emboli in the lower limbs revealed other oral flora, supporting a dental origin of graft infection. To our knowledge this is the first report of D. pneumonintes associated aortic graft infection. The patient underwent surgical explantation, oversew of the aorta and placement of extra-anatomical bypass graft in conjunction with antimicrobial therapy, making a good recovery with discharge home after 35 day hospital admission. Conclusion: We report a case of Dialister pneumosintes bacteraemia secondary to aortic graft infection. To our knowledge, vascular graft-associated infection with D. pneumosintes has not been reported before.