Abstract
BACKGROUND: Central venous catheters (CVC), may lead to central line-associated blood stream infections (CLABSIs). In the past, Lactococcus species have seldom been considered pathogenic. However, clinically significant infections have been reported, of which few are pediatric cases, all outside the United States. METHODS: We retrospectively identified pediatric patients with bacteremia secondary to Lactococcus spp. admitted to a tertiary pediatric hospital from January 2018 - December 2020. We reviewed the PubMed database for cases of pediatric Lactococcus spp. infections in English, peer-reviewed literature. RESULTS: We identified 3 patients with Lactococcus spp. bacteremia. The average patient was 17 months old (range, 6–24 months). All had a CVC; two had short bowel syndrome and 1 had nephrotic syndrome. None received probiotics. Empiric treatment for all included vancomycin. Two of 3 patients were de-escalated to ceftriaxone. All isolates were susceptible to penicillin. Duration of treatment was 10-14 days. Two of 3 were managed with CVC retention and none had recurrence of infection. A literature review revealed 9 additional cases (Table 1). The most common source of infection was blood (33%), with 66% (2/3) occurring in patients with central lines. Other sources included liver abscess (11%), brain abscess (11%), cerebrospinal fluid (11%), urine (11%), and endocarditis (22%). Median patient age was 12 months (range, 14 days-14 years). Five of 9 patients had an underlying risk factor. Duration of therapy ranged from 7-40 days. Most definitive treatment regimens consisted of a third-generation cephalosporin (44%). Of bacteremia, 2/3 received vancomycin as part of their definitive therapy. Five of 9 reported quantitative antimicrobial sensitivity testing (AST) or interpretation of AST to beta-lactam antibiotics; 80% (4/5) were susceptible. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, these are the first reported pediatric cases of Lactococcus infections in the United States and suggests Lactococcus spp. should be considered pathogenic in the appropriate circumstances. This series adds to the limited literature, including AST. Continued accrual of susceptibility data may raise the possibility of using a 3(rd) generation cephalosporin as empiric therapy for Lactococcus bacteremia. DISCLOSURES: All Authors: No reported disclosures