A 78-year-old man presented with back pain. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed marrow edema within the L4 and L5 vertebral bodies and a spinal epidural abscess in the spinal canal. The patient was considered to have pyogenic spondylodiscitis at the L4/L5 level. The Gram-positive cocci isolated from blood cultures were subsequently identified as Gemella sanguinis using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Symptom improvement was achieved and the infection was eradicated with conservative treatment (treatment with ceftriaxone [CTRX] and minocycline [MINO]). We report the first case of G. sanguinis-associated pyogenic spondylodiscitis. MALDI-TOF MS was useful in identifying this uncommon bacterium.
Keywords: gemella sanguinis; infection; maldi-tof ms; orthopedic disease; pyogenic spondylodiscitis.
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