The First Infant Bloodstream Infection Caused by Pantoea dispersa in China: A Case Report and Literature Review

<i>Pantoea</i> is a prevalent environmental Gram-negative bacterium comprising over 20 distinct species. It is a facultative anaerobe capable of forming smooth, translucent colonies on culture plates. <i>Pantoea</i> is typically considered a potential pathogen that may cause infections in plants and animals. With the advancement in mass spectrometry and gene sequencing technologies, human infections caused by <i>Pantoea</i> have increasingly been recognized, raising concerns regarding its pathogenicity and nosocomial transmission that clinicians must address. While there are numerous reports documenting <i>P. agglomerans</i> as a cause of human infections in clinical settings, instances of <i>P. dispersa</i> leading to human pathogenesis are comparatively rare, and the clinical manifestations associated with <i>P. dispersa</i> infections remain largely underexplored. We report a case of a 9-month-old female patient from China whose blood cultures indicated positive Gram-negative bacilli. Through MALDI Biotyper and next-generation sequencing techniques, the pathogen was identified as <i>P. dispersa</i>. Clinically, meropenem was administered for treatment, and the patient's condition improved. We hope this article will help clinicians pay more attention to and better understand infant-related bloodstream infections caused by <i>P. dispersa</i>.