A plant pathogen in a human host! A case report and a review of literature

In this case report, we present a renal transplant recipient who developed an infection due to a plant pathogen - Pantoea agglomerans. This pathogen is a rare organism with no case reports in a renal transplant recipient from India so far. A 50-year-old renal transplant recipient presented with fever for 20 days associated with productive cough and upper back pain. She had received her graft kidney 8 months earlier in a deceased donor program in her local state. In the immediate postoperative period, she had one episode of a mixed rejection, which required a course of antithymocyte globulin and plasmapheresis. On examination, tenderness was noted in her upper back over the cervical and thoracic vertebrae. Her computed tomography scan showed a collection over the cervical vertebrae and consolidation in the lung. Blood culture grew P. agglomerans. P. agglomerans is a rare plant pathogen usually occurring after trauma involving organic debris being deposited within the body. Spontaneously occurring infection is seen only in special situations such as immunocompromised states, malignancy, or excessive antacid use. It has been known to cause lung infections, bone and joint infections, and fever with systemic signs. Spontaneously occurring infections like in this patient are very rare with a handful of case reports worldwide. In an immunocompromised host, a multitude of infections can occur. This case report highlights the importance of removing unnecessary medication from our transplant recipients and optimizing immunosuppression while pursuing the underlying microbiologic cause of infection aggressively.