Sphingomonas paucimobilis bacteremia: Four cases and review of the literature

Thirty cases of Sphingomonas paucimobilis (formerly known as Pseudomonas paucimobilis) infection have been reported previously, including three cases in children. We report five cases of S. paucimobilis infection, including a case of a pediatric liver transplant recipient with transient bacteremia and a case of a child with an infected ventriculoperitoneal shunt, as well as the cases of two other transplant recipients with bacteremia. Literature review revealed a low mortality associated with this infection, despite frequent complicating illnesses. A relative absence of lipopolysaccharide in the outer membrane of S. paucimobilis is noted, as well as a high frequency of antibiotic resistance.