# Sarcina ventriculi Bacteremia Complicating Aspiration Pneumonia: A Case Report

## TL;DR

This case report describes a rare instance of Sarcina ventriculi bacteremia in an elderly man with aspiration pneumonia.

## Contribution

The paper presents the first reported case of S. ventriculi bacteremia linked to a lower respiratory tract infection.

## Key findings

- S. ventriculi was detected in blood cultures and sputum of an 89-year-old man with aspiration pneumonia.
- The patient recovered after treatment with ceftriaxone.
- Literature review found only three prior cases of S. ventriculi bacteremia, all linked to the gastrointestinal tract.

## Abstract

Sarcina ventriculi, a large anaerobic Gram-positive coccus that clusters in tetrads, is most commonly detected histologically in gastric biopsy specimens from patients with gastrointestinal disorders. Herein, we describe a rare case of bacteremia caused by S. ventriculi in an 89-year-old man. The patient had a history of cerebral infarction, atrophic gastritis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and was receiving home oxygen therapy. He was admitted to our hospital with a right femoral neck fracture. Three days after femoral surgery, he developed aspiration pneumonia, and S. ventriculi was detected in the anaerobic blood culture bottle. A Gram-stained sputum smear showed large Gram-positive cocci (presumed to be S. ventriculi) clustered in tetrads. The patient was diagnosed with S. ventriculi bacteremia as a complication of aspiration pneumonia and recovered after ceftriaxone treatment. A literature review revealed only three previous case reports of S. ventriculi bacteremia. In previous case reports, the gastrointestinal tract was the presumed portal of entry into the blood. To our knowledge, S. ventriculi bacteremia has not previously been reported as a complication of lower respiratory tract infection.