Agrobacterium

Background

• Genus of Gram-negative bacilli
• Primarily a plant pathogen that causes tumours
• Rare, opportunistic pathogen in humans
• Most common species of clinical importance is Agrobacterium radiobacter

Clinical Manifestations

• In humans, can rarely cause true infections, typically CLABSI in the context of immunosuppression
• Other rare sites of infection include peritoneal dialysis-associated peritonitis, bacteremia without focus, and one case of prosthetic valve endocarditis

Management

• May resolve with central line removal alone
• Unclear what its resistance pattern is; variably susceptible to beta-lactams, co-trimoxazole, others

Further Reading

• Agrobacterium Infections in Humans: Experience at One Hospital and Review. Clin Infect Dis. 1993;16(1):112-117. doi: 10.1093/clinids/16.1.112