Hafnia alvei causing late onset sepsis in neonates: report of two cases and review of literature
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18203/2349-3291.ijcp20180580Keywords:
Hafnia alvei, Neonate, SepsisAbstract
Hafnia alvei, a Gram negative motile bacillus that belongs to Enterobacteriaceae family is rarely associated with infection in pediatric patients and is exceptionally rare in the neonatal period. H. alvei is ubiquitous in the environment, causing infections in debilitated and immuno-compromised patients with few cases being reported in neonates. We report two cases of late onset sepsis in term neonates caused by H. alvei that were successfully treated in our unit. To the best of our knowledge, infection due to H. alvei has not been reported in neonates from India. Hafnia alvei causes infection rarely in neonates. Because it can cause nosocomial outbreaks, awareness regarding this uncommon pathogen and initiation of appropriate antibiotic therapy improves the outcome and prevents mortality.
References
Janda JM, Sharon L. Abbott. The Genus Hafnia: from soup to nuts. Clinical Microbiol Rev. 2006;19(1):12-8.
Möller V. Distribution of amino acid decarboxylases in Enterobacteriaceae. Acta Pathol Microbiol Scand. 1954;35:259-77.
Fisher RG, Gruber WC. Miscellaneous enterobacteria. Feigin R, Cherry JD, eds. Text book of pediatric infectious diseases. 4th ed. Philadelphia: Saunders; 1998:1352-3.
Ginsberg H, Goldsmith J. Hafnia alvei septicaemia in an infant with necrotizing enterocolitis. J Perinatol. 1988;8:122-3.
Casanova-Román M, Sanchez-Porto A, Casanova-Bellido M. Late-onset neonatal sepsis due to Hafnia alvei. Scand J Infect Dis. 2004;36(1):70-2.
Moreno CM, Troncoso VM, De La HPC, Ledermann DW, Del Valle GM, Nuñez CF, et al. Report of four clinical cases of Hafnia bacteremia in a pediatric cardiac surgery unit. Rev Chilena Infectol. 2010;27(1):40-4.
Pérez AB, Colomer FB, Cotallo CD, Sastre LJB. Nosocomial Hafnia alvei sepsis in a neonatal intensive care unit. An Pediatr (Barc). 2004;60(3):271-3.
Rodríguez-Guardado A, Boga JA, de Diego I, Pérez F. Bacteremia caused by Hafnia alvei in an intensive care neonatal unit. Med Clin (Barc). 2006;126(9):355-6.
Günthard H, Pennekamp A. Clinical significance of extraintestinal Hafnia alvei isolates from 61 patients and review of the literature. Clin Infect Dis 1996;22:1040-5.
Fazal BA, Justman JE, Turett GS, Telzak EE. Community-acquired Hafnia alvei infection. Clin Inf Dis. 1997;24:527-8.
