# Case Report: Sarcina ventriculi, a masquerade of motility

## TL;DR

This case report describes a rare bacterial infection, Sarcina ventriculi, causing severe gastric symptoms in a 69-year-old man.

## Contribution

The report adds a new clinical case of Sarcina ventriculi, highlighting its potential to mimic gastric motility disorders.

## Key findings

- Endoscopy confirmed Sarcina ventriculi in a patient with gastric distention and nausea.
- The infection was associated with gastric dysmotility and ruled out gastric outlet obstruction.
- Sarcina ventriculi is a rare but serious cause of gastric symptoms requiring biopsy confirmation.

## Abstract

Sarcina ventriculi is a rare bacterium that has the potential to cause severe disease in the gastric mucosa. According to our search, there are less than 100 prior published case reports. This case discusses a 69-year-old man who presented to the hospital with severe gastric distention noted on CT of the abdomen with intractable nausea and emesis, for which endoscopy was performed and ruled out gastric outlet obstruction, with biopsies resulting as S. ventriculi. This bacterium has previously been reported to cause gastric dysmotility, as well as severe side effects including gastric perforation.