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Volume 32, Number 2—February 2026

Dispatch

Desulfovibrio Bacteremia in Patients with Abdominal Infections, Japan, 2020–2025

Naoki Watanabe1Comments to Author , Tomohisa Watari, and Yoshihito Otsuka
Author affiliations: Author affiliation: Kameda Medical Center, Kamogawa, Japan; Current affiliation: Hirosaki University, Hirosaki, Japan.1

Main Article

Table 1

Patient characteristics and clinical course of Desulfovibrio bacteremia in patients with abdominal infections, Japan, 2020–2025

Case no. Age, y/sex Clinical diagnosis Underlying conditions Time to positivity, d Source control Antimicrobial therapy (duration, d)* Outcome at discharge
1† 80s/M Ischemic colitis, bowel obstruction Atrial fibrillation; hypertension 4 Yes (surgery) Ampicillin/sulbactam (9), then amoxicillin/clavulanate (7) Recovered
2 70s/M Ischemic colitis, septic shock Intravascular large B cell lymphoma; chronic hepatitis B; hypertension 5 No Piperacillin/tazobactam, vancomycin, and micafungin (3), then piperacillin/tazobactam (11) Recovered
3 80s/F Adhesive small-bowel obstruction; hemorrhagic cystitis Ureteral cancer; severe aortic stenosis; paroxysmal atrial fibrillation 6 No Cefotiam (5), then ampicillin/sulbactam (14) Recovered
4 60s/F Perianal abscess Rectal cancer; prior venous thromboembolism; recent colostomy 6 Yes (surgery) Piperacillin/tazobactam (30), then piperacillin and metronidazole (3) Recovered
5 80s/M Psoas abscess; catheter-associated urinary tract infection Aortic stenosis/aortic regurgitation; atrial fibrillation; heart failure 3 No Cefepime and vancomycin (7) Died
6 90s/M Colonic diverticulitis; acute enteritis None 3 No Piperacillin/tazobactam (duration not recorded) Transferred
7 70s/M Febrile illness, unknown origin Hypertension 6 No None Not applicable‡
8 70s/M Colonic diverticulitis Hypertension 4 No Amoxicillin/clavulanate (10) Recovered

*Antimicrobial agents are listed as the drugs used for the longest duration. When the regimen changed, the initial regimen is listed first, followed by subsequent therapy. †Polymicrobial episode with co-pathogen Parabacteroides goldsteinii. ‡Indicates an episode of uncertain clinical significance that was not managed as clinically significant bacteremia. The patient declined further evaluation and was confirmed to be alive at ≈1-y follow-up.

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Page created: January 20, 2026
Page updated: February 19, 2026
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