Lumbar Osteomyelitis and Epidural Abscess Caused by Cardiobacterium hominis—First Reported Case in the Pediatric Population: The Role of Universal 16S rRNA Gene PCR and Sequencing

Abstract

This report presents a case of a 14-year-old female patient diagnosed with lumbar (L2–L3) epidural abscess and vertebral osteomyelitis caused by Cardiobacterium hominis. The diagnosis was made using universal 16S rRNA polymerase chain reaction. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of C. hominis lumbar epidural abscess and vertebral osteomyelitis in pediatric population. This case serves to illustrate the potential value of polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing in diagnosing culture-negative vertebral osteomyelitis and the potential role of C. hominis in causing this infection.