Urinary tract infection caused by Edwardsiella tarda: a report of the first case in Iran

• Published in: BMC infectious diseases Vol. 22; no. 1; p. 962
• Main Authors: Gilani, Abolfazl, Sarmadian, Roham, Kahbazi, Manijeh, Yousefichaijan, Parsa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 28.12.2022; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Animals; Antibiotics; Care and treatment; Case Report; Ceftriaxone; Child, Preschool; Diagnosis; Dosage and administration; Edwardsiella tarda; Enterobacteriaceae; Enterobacteriaceae Infections - diagnosis; Enterobacteriaceae Infections - drug therapy; Female; Genetic aspects; Gram-negative bacteria; Health aspects; Humans; Identification and classification; Iran; Raw foods; Urinary tract infection; Urinary tract infections; Urinary Tract Infections - diagnosis; Urinary Tract Infections - drug therapy; Waterborne infection; Iran; Edwardsiella tarda; Urinary tract infection; Waterborne infection
• ISSN: 1471-2334; 1471-2334
• DOI: 10.1186/s12879-022-07960-9

Edwardsiella tarda, an Enterobacteriaceae family member, is prevalent in different aquatic settings and rarely infects humans. As a result of eating raw or undercooked seafood, humans become infected through their intestinal tracts. Extraintestinal infections have been reported infrequently, mostly in immunocompromised and chronically ill patients. Our report describes a case of urinary tract infection caused by E. tarda in a 4-year-old female patient with a history of urinary tract infection and a complaint of fever, dysuria, and frequency. E. tarda was identified as the pathogen isolated from the urine culture. The patient's symptoms were alleviated after receiving ceftriaxone and then nitrofurantoin. This case demonstrates that even in immunocompetent patients, E. tarda can infect extraintestinal organs, including urinary tract. Our patient represents the first case of E. tarda infection in Iran and due to the fact that this pathogen is transmitted by aquatic animals, there is a possibility of infecting more aquatic animals and humans in Iran; therefore, the necessary precautions should be taken.