A patient with colorectal cancer develops septicemia complicated by endocarditis. You would expect the blood cultures to grow?
Correct Answer: Streptococcus bovis
Description: Streptococcus bovis is a Group D streptococcus. There is a significant association between S. bovis bacteremia and endocarditis with carcinoma of the colon and other colonic diseases. Every patient with S. bovis bacteremia should undergo gastrointestinal and cardiac evaluation. Up to 50% of patients with S. bovis bacteremia are repoed to have underlying colonic malignancies. In another study, 25-50% of cases of S. bovis bacteremia were associated with endocarditis, especially in patients with preexisting valvular lesions. Streptococcus agalactiae is an impoant cause of maternal and neonatal bacteremia and neonatal meningitis. It is pa of the normal flora of the gastrointestinal tract and the female genital tract. Streptococcus pneumoniae is a leading cause of community-acquired pneumonia, meningitis in adults, otitis media (especially in children), and sinusitis. Spontaneous peritonitis due to S. pneumoniae is repoed in children with ascites from nephrotic syndrome. Asplenia predisposes patients to severe infections with S. pneumoniae and other encapsulated organisms. S. pneumoniae infections are also more frequent and unusually severe in patients with sickle cell anemia, multiple myeloma, alcoholism, and hypogammaglobulinemia. S. pneumoniae is now the leading cause of invasive bacterial respiratory disease in patients with AIDS. Streptococcus pyogenes is the most common cause of bacterial pharyngitis. Complications include peritonsillar abscesses, otitis media, and sinusitis. Long-term sequelae include rheumatic fever and poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis. S. pyogenes is also responsible for many skin and soft tissue infections. The organism also produces many toxins that produce a variety of diseases.
Category:
Microbiology
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