Infection and Drug Resistance (Apr 2020)
Raoultella ornithinolytica: Emergence and Resistance
Abstract
Roy Hajjar,1,* Georges Ambaraghassi,2,* Herawaty Sebajang,1 Frank Schwenter,1 Shih-Hann Su2 1Digestive Surgery Service, Department of Surgery, Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM), Montréal, Québec, Canada; 2Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM), Montréal, Québec, Canada*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Roy Hajjar; Georges AmbaraghassiCentre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, 1000, Rue Saint-Denis, Montréal, Québec H2X 0C1, CanadaTel +1 514 890 8000Email [email protected] [email protected]: Raoultella ornithinolytica is an encapsulated Gram-negative, oxidase-negative, catalase-positive, aerobic, non-motile rod that belongs to the Enterobacteriaceae family. This bacterium was initially classified in the genus Klebsiella as Klebsiella ornithinolytica, until the creation of the genus Raoultella in 2001. R. ornithinolytica is usually found in water environments and soil, and due to its ability to convert histidine to histamine, it has been associated with histamine poisoning in humans. R. ornithinolytica is an emerging entity in human infections, with several reports of virulent infections in comorbid at-risk patients. Increasing reports are potentially due to better and more precise identification tools. The objective of this article is to provide a comprehensive review of reported cases of R. ornithinolytica infections, the emergent virulence of described multiresistant strains, and an overview of currently used identification methods.Keywords: Raoultella ornithinolytica, Raoultella spp., infection, resistance
