[Paucisymptomatic pneumonia due to Rothia mucilaginosa: case report and literature review]

Abstract

Rothia mucilaginosa is a Gram-positive, coagulase-negative, encapsulated, non-spore-forming coccus considered part of the commensal flora of the oral cavity and the upper respiratory tract in humans. Its involvement has been reported in an increasing spectrum of infections, above all among immunocompromised patients. To date, only 11 cases of pneumonia due to Rothia mucilaginosa have been described in the literature. The authors report a case of pneumonia due to Rothia mucilaginosa in a 72-year-old man with laryngeal cancer and review the published cases of pneumonia due to this pathogen.