Revisiting Kocuria Infections: A Growing Nosocomial Challenge in Immunocompromised Patients

Nosocomial or hospital acquired infections (NI or HAI) pose significant danger to immunocompromised individuals. Many pathogens involved in NI evade early detection during the initial testing since they are misdiagnosed as contaminants and are also resistant to various first-line antibiotics. Few of the common pathogens that cause NIs or HAIs include various strains of E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella sp., etc. Kocuria sp. previously considered to be an opportunistic pathogen, has recently been identified as the causative agent for a variety of NIs affecting neonates and immunocompromised; cholecystitis, peritonitis, endocarditis, etc. being some of the symptoms caused. Hence, this genus has received more research attention to devise novel strategies for diagnosis and effective treatments of infections. The present review focuses on various features of the genus Kocuria, different types of infections caused, case studies highlighting various promising treatment strategies and the antimicrobial resistance shown by the members of this genus.