Pseudomonas putida is a rare pathogen leading to nosocomial and central nervous system infections. Despite having a low virulence and being a rare organism to cause bacteremia, it can evolve into a multidrug-resistant organism and lead to mortality and morbidity in the intensive care setting. A 64-year-old male gardener was presented with extensive acute subarachnoid hemorrhage with intraventricular extension causing hydrocephalus requiring embolization and coiling following a cerebral angiogram, which showed bilateral posterior circulation aneurysm and left anterior circulation aneurysm. External ventricular drain (EVD) was inserted given the worsening hydrocephalus. During his stay in the intensive care unit (ICU), he was becoming more septic and a full septic workup including a cerebral spinal fluid culture taken from the indwelling catheter of the EVD and was found to be positive for a ceftazidime-sensitive strain of P. putida. Following the treatment with intravenous ceftazidime for 1 week and a revision of the EVD on day 32 of admission, he continued to recover well and showed an improvement in his Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and septic parameters. Eventually, he was able to wean off mechanical ventilation. He was discharged from ICU care to the neurosurgical ward with supplemental oxygen on day 42 of admission. It is necessary to be aware of the possibility of nosocomial P. putida infection, especially in patients with indwelling catheters, and to consider the early initiation of appropriate antibiotic regimens once detected as well as strict precautions in hygiene during the management of these patients to avoid further development of multi-drug resistant (MDR) strains.
Vibrio vulnificus is a halophilic gram-negative bacillus that can cause fulminant septicaemia in immunocompromised patients. A 67-year-old man who was immunosuppressed as a result of cytotoxic chemotherapy presented with a brief history of fever, lethargy, myalgia, and reduced oral intake. He had recently travelled to the beach to consume seafood. His blood pressure was 81/47 mm Hg, necessitating fluid resuscitation followed by inotropic support and admission to the intensive care unit. His blood culture was positive for curved gram-negative bacilli. The isolate was oxidase-positive and produced an acid butt with an alkaline slant in triple sugar iron agar. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry conclusively identified the isolate as V. vulnificus. Intravenous ceftazidime plus ciprofloxacin were administered, and by the fifth day of admission, he was successfully transferred out to the general ward. In total, the patient completed a 14-day course of antibiotic therapy.