A Rare Case of Parvimonas micra Bacteremia in a 90-Year-Old Male With Severe Sepsis and Multifocal Pneumonia: A Case Report

TL;DR

A 90-year-old man with severe sepsis and pneumonia had a rare infection caused by Parvimonas micra, detected using advanced diagnostic technology.

Contribution

This case report highlights the rare occurrence of P. micra bacteremia and the importance of advanced diagnostics in identifying such pathogens.

Findings

P. micra bacteremia was diagnosed in a patient with severe sepsis and multifocal pneumonia.

Rapid MALDI-TOF technology enabled targeted antibiotic therapy for this rare infection.

The case underscores the need to consider rare anaerobic pathogens in elderly or immunocompromised patients.

Abstract

Parvimonas micra (P. micra) is an anaerobic, gram-positive coccus that is part of the normal flora of the oral cavity and gastrointestinal tract, but is rarely implicated in systemic infections. We present a case of a 90-year-old male with severe sepsis, multifocal pneumonia, and a urinary tract infection, whose blood cultures revealed P. micra bacteremia, an extremely rare infection. The diagnosis was made using rapid matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) technology, which enabled targeted antibiotic therapy. This case emphasizes the importance of considering rare anaerobic pathogens in immunocompromised or elderly patients with sepsis, and highlights the role of advanced microbiological diagnostics in early detection and optimized medical management.

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