Bifidobacterium spp.: A unique etiopathogenic agent for intra-abdominal infections

Abstract

Bifidobacterium spp. are non-sporulating Gram-positive anaerobic bacilli that can grow also in
microaerophilic conditions and are constituting part of normal enteral flora, playing a complex role in the
maintenance of the health state of the human organism. However, in recent times, the literature has
reported that in certain conditions (advanced age, immunodeficiency status, co-morbidities etc),
commensal Bifidobacterium strains can turn into pathogens, being implicated in different infectious
processes (pancreatitis, peritonitis, neonatal meningitis, aspiration pneumonia), sometimes with severe,
life-threatening evolution. In the present study, there are reported five severe clinical cases of abdominal
surgical emergencies, in which the Bifidobacterium strains were isolated as the unique etiological
infectious agents, exhibiting at the same time, a large profile of virulence factors and high resistance to
second generation cephalosporins, meropenem and ertapenem. All five strains exhibited susceptibility to
imipenem, amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid, piperacillin plus tazobactam and ticarcillin plus clavulanic
acid.