Granulicatella adiacens: An uncommon diagnosis of prosthetic hip joint infection. A case report with review of the literature

Timothy C Badrick; Iulian Nusem; Claire Heney; Marjoree Sehu

doi:10.1016/j.idcr.2021.e01204

Granulicatella adiacens: An uncommon diagnosis of prosthetic hip joint infection. A case report with review of the literature

IDCases. 2021 Jun 22:25:e01204. doi: 10.1016/j.idcr.2021.e01204. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Timothy C Badrick^{1

2}, Iulian Nusem³, Claire Heney⁴, Marjoree Sehu^{1

4

2}

Affiliations

¹ Princess Alexandra Hospital, Queensland Health, Queensland, Australia.
² University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia.
³ Logan Hospital, Queensland Health, Queensland, Australia.
⁴ Queensland Pathology, Queensland Health, Australia.

Abstract

We report a case of prosthetic hip infection in a 79 year old man caused by Granulicatella adiacens. The diagnosis was achieved using broad range 16S PCR gene analysis at an early stage, after joint aspiration and culture failed to yield a pathogen. Staged revision surgery together with administration of appropriate antibiotics resulted in cure. Granulicatella adiacens is a nutritionally variant streptococcus (NVS). It has been increasingly reported to cause significant morbidities involving various systems. Its insidious growth due to complex growth requirements, has made its diagnosis challenging, and often delays appropriate antibiotic administration.

Keywords: 16S PCR; Challenging diagnosis; Granulicatella adiacens; Prosthetic hip infection.

Publication types

Case Reports