<em>Sphingobacterium thalpophilum</em> infection in a patient with Necrotizing Pancreatitis: A Case Report

Abstract

Sphingobacterium Thalpophilum is a very rare, aerobic, gram-negative bacilli which was isolated from a blood sample of a 36 years old male with necrotizing pancreatitis and DVT. The patient was treated with three different types of antibiotics: Meropenem, Metronidazole and Tigecycline as dictated by the antibiotic sensitivity testing. Unfortunately, the patient’s condition deteriorated and had to be admitted to the ICU and transferred to a tertiary care unit. S. thalpophilum while uncommon to be isolated from human specimens; infections with this microorganism can be fatal according to literature. There are very few reports of infection with S. thalpophilum worldwide and this is the first reported case in the United Arab Emirates.