A case of Curtobacterium caseinilyticum bacteremia in a pediatric bone marrow transplant patient

ABSTRACT Background Curtobacterium species are environmental gram-positive bacilli rarely associated with human disease. We report the first documented case of Curtobacterium caseinilyticum bacteremia in a pediatric patient and the first reported infection caused by this species. Case Summary A 2-year-old boy undergoing autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for disseminated pineoblastoma presented after a defect was identified in his dual-lumen central venous catheter. Although asymptomatic, central line blood cultures obtained during line repair grew gram-positive bacilli from multiple central venous access devices. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry failed to identify the organism; 16S rRNA gene sequencing established the diagnosis of C. caseinilyticum . Persistent positive cultures prompted removal of both the central venous catheter and implanted port. Subsequent blood cultures remained sterile, and the patient completed a 14-day course of intravenous vancomycin with full recovery. Conclusion This case expands the clinical spectrum of Curtobacterium infections and highlights the importance of molecular diagnostics in identifying unusual pathogens in immunocompromised hosts.