Campylobacter fetus Bacteremia Presenting with Bilateral Lower Leg Cellulitis in an Immunocompetent Adult.
Shogo Shirota, Yuki Omura, Taku Ogawa
✦ AI-curated · Sources linked
Case in brief
An 87-year-old woman without immunodeficiency presented with fever and pain in both legs. Examination showed inflammatory changes in both lower legs, and blood cultures grew Campylobacter fetus. She received meropenem, which was narrowed to ampicillin and then changed to oral amoxicillin; her clinical condition improved.
What made this case unusual
Bilateral lower-leg cellulitis associated with C. fetus bacteremia occurred in an immunocompetent adult, whereas the organism often causes bacteremia in immunocompromised patients and bilateral cellulitis is rarely described.
Diagnostic / clinical pearl
In an immunocompetent patient with bilateral cellulitis and fever, blood cultures can identify C. fetus bacteremia and help establish the diagnosis.