Published online Jul 16, 2023. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i20.4897
Peer-review started: February 28, 2023
First decision: March 28, 2023
Revised: April 11, 2023
Accepted: May 15, 2023
Article in press: May 15, 2023
Published online: July 16, 2023
Processing time: 133 Days and 15.1 Hours
Staphylococcus caprae (S. caprae) is a human commensal bacterium which can be detected in the nose, nails, and skin. It can be responsible for heterogeneous infections such as bacteremia, endocarditis, pneumonia, acute otitis externa, peritonitis, and urinary tract infections. Bone and joint infections due to S. caprae have also been reported, but most of them resulted from the infection of orthopedic devices, especially joint prostheses and internal osteosynthesis devices. Rare cases of primary osteoarticular infections caused by S. caprae have been described, including osteitis, arthritis, or spondylodiscitis.
We report an unusual case of subacute osteomyelitis in a toe phalanx caused by S. caprae in a 14.5-year-old girl.
Subacute S. caprae osteomyelitis is a little-known and probably underestimated community-acquired infectious disease. This microorganism’s pathogenicity should be seen as more than a classic nosocomial orthopedic device infection.
Core Tip:Staphylococcus caprae (S. caprae) is a human commensal bacterium which can be detected in the nose, nails, and skin. It may be responsible for heterogenous infections such as bacteremia, endocarditis, pneumonia, acute otitis externa, peritonitis, and urinary tract infections. Bone and joint infections due to S. caprae have also been reported but most of them resulted from orthopedic device infections, including above all joint prosthesis infections and internal osteosynthesis device infections. Only any rare cases of primary osteoarticular infections caused by S. caprae have been described and consisted in osteitis, arthritis, or spondylodiscitis. We report here the case of an unusual subacute osteomyelitis of a toe phalanx caused by S. caprae in a 14.5-year-old girl.