# An Emerging Human Pathogen: Raoultella Planticola

**Authors:** Daniela Pi-Noa, Cinthia Reyes, Nikhil Sikha, Anita Sikha

PMC · DOI: 10.7759/cureus.92875 · Cureus · 2025-09-21

## TL;DR

This paper reports a rare case of a urinary tract infection caused by Raoultella planticola, a bacterium not commonly linked to human infections.

## Contribution

The study adds to the limited literature on R. planticola as a uropathogen and suggests nitrofurantoin as an effective treatment.

## Key findings

- A 64-year-old woman with diabetes had a UTI caused by R. planticola.
- Nitrofurantoin successfully treated the infection in five days.
- The case highlights the need to consider rare pathogens in recurrent UTIs.

## Abstract

Raoultella planticola (R. planticola) is a gram-negative environmental bacterium rarely implicated in human infections. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by R. planticola remain rare, particularly in outpatient settings. We present a 64-year-old female with a history of type 2 diabetes mellitus and recurrent UTIs who presented to the outpatient clinic with dysuria and increased urinary frequency. Urine culture subsequently grew >100,000 CFU/mL of R. planticola. The patient was successfully treated with a five-day course of nitrofurantoin. This case highlights a rare instance of community-acquired UTI due to R. planticola in an immunocompetent outpatient. It underscores the importance of accurate microbiological identification and the consideration of atypical pathogens in patients with recurrent UTIs. This report contributes to the limited literature on R. planticola as a uropathogen and supports nitrofurantoin as an effective treatment option.

## Linked entities

- **Chemicals:** nitrofurantoin (PubChem CID 6604200)
- **Diseases:** type 2 diabetes mellitus (MONDO:0005148)

## Full-text entities

- **Diseases:** infections (MESH:D007239), type 2 diabetes mellitus (MESH:D003924), UTIs (MESH:D014552), dysuria (MESH:D053159)
- **Chemicals:** nitrofurantoin (MESH:D009582)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606], Klebsiella planticola (species) [taxon 575]

## Full text

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## References

10 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12539979/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12539979