Empedobacter falsenii: a rare non-fermenter causing urinary tract infection in a child with bladder cancer

The members of family Enterobacteriaceae are the most common etiological agents implicated in urinary tract infections (UTI), followed by gram-positive organisms such as Staphylococci and Enterococci [1]. UTI due to non-fermenters (NFs) have also seen an upsurge over the past few years. Pseudomonas holds a significant place in this group, due to easy identification by virtue of its pigment and odour, followed by Acinetobacter spp. Other rare NFs which have been reported to cause UTI include Alcaligenes, Flavobacter, Oligella, Flavimonas, Agrobacter, Weeksiella, Chryseobacterium, Achromobacter and Elizabethkingia [2,3]. Earlier, identification of these NF was labor-intensive and technically demanding which led to their misidentification as contaminants or isolates of doubtful significance. However, the identification of these organisms has now become reliable and rapid with the advent of rapid automatic identification methods like MALDITOF. Here, we report a case of UTI in a child caused by Empedobacter falsenii, a rare non fermenting, multidrug resistant NF, which was identified by MALDI-TOF. Empedobacter falsenii, belongs to family Flavobacteriaceae, which produces yellow colored pigment. There are no definite guidelines for the antibiotic susceptibility testing and treatment for this organism.