FIRST REPORT OF A CLINICAL ISOLATE OF BLA OXA-48 - CARBAPENEMASE PRODUCING RAOULTELLA ORNITHINOLYTICA IN SOUTH AMERICA

Raoultella spp., a bacterium named after Didier Raoult, is a Gram-negative belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family. There have been described 4 species: Raoultella planticola, Raoultella ornithinolytica, Raoultella terrigena, and Raoultella electrica, all species are inhabitants of soil and plants. Recently, R. planticola and R. ornithinolytica have been associated with human infections and resis[1]tance to different antibiotics including carbapenems. In this report, we describe an infection caused by blaOXA-48 producing R. ornithinolytica. A 64-year-old male patient was admitted into a 700-bed hospital in Quito, in order to restore intestinal transit after ileocecal resection. Two days after admission the patient presented sepsis characterized by hypotension, fever, and leukocytosis. The patient was directed to intensive care unit where he was treated with Ampicillin/sulbactam for 10 days, subsequent blood cultures were negative however Escherichia coli was recovered from tracheal aspirate.