Identification of Terrisporobacter muris isolated from human blood using whole-genome sequencing: A case report

We describe a case of <i>Terrisporobacter muris</i> bacteremia in a critically ill elderly man with a sigmoid colonic perforation. Initially, MALDI-TOF MS identified the bacterium as <i>T. glycolicus</i>; however, 16S rRNA gene sequencing suggested the presence of <i>T. glycolicus</i>, <i>T. mayombei</i>, or <i>T. petrolearius</i>. Owing to the limitations of these methods in distinguishing among the <i>Terrisporobacter</i> species, we employed whole-genome sequencing, which revealed the involvement of <i>T. muris</i> in the infection. This case represents the second report of <i>T. muris</i> isolated from human blood culture and is the first to describe the clinical course of this infection. Our findings underscore the diagnostic utility of whole-genome sequencing in accurately identifying novel infectious agents.