Sphingomonas paucimobilis presenting as acute phlebitis: A case report

Sphingomonas paucimobilis is a strictly aerobic, non-spore-forming Gram-negative bacillus, ubiquitous bacterium, thought to be an opportunistic pathogen and is rarely reported in clinical settings. Here in, is the first case report of Acute Sphingomonas phlebitis secondary to intravenous (IV) drug use. We present the case of a 39-year-old male who initially presented with pain in his right upper extremity, fevers and chills of three week duration. He admitted to regularly injecting heroin in his distal right upper extremity with visible erythema, tenderness and streaking along the path of vein along the injection site. Radiographic studies including X-ray of the right arm, ultrasound and a subsequent MRI of the right arm were not significant for any osteomyelitis, deep venous thrombus, abscess, cellulitis, osteomyelitis, or pyomyositis. Blood culture grew Sphingomonas paucimobilis. Patient was initially started on vancomycin and piperacillin/tazobactam and subsequently switched to levofloxacin to complete a 14 day course. Patient admitted to using toilet water to mix his heroin which we suspect may have been the source of his bacteremia. Since it was first reported in 1979, a wide variety of community-acquired and hospital-acquired infections have been attributed to this Sphingomonas. It is ubiquitous to natural environment. We believe that due to its widespread habitat and ability to survive in stress conditions it could be a potential future threat in the era of increasing antimicrobial resistance globally. More research needs to be done on early identification, pathogenesis, treatment and eradication of the organism.