Purulent pericarditis caused by Kytococcus schroeteri: Case report and literature review

Kytococcus schroeteri is a Gram-positive Cocci, considered a saprophyte of human skin, which can cause severe infections. Diagnosis is difficult due to non-specific clinical manifestations that vary according to the host's immune status and the presence or absence of implantable devices. It appears that this pathogen has the potential to acquire resistance to multiple antibiotic classes, which only exacerbates the challenge of curing it. We report a rare case of K. schroeteri purulent pericarditis in a 40-year-old woman who underwent surgery to implant an implantable catheter chamber in order to receive chemotherapy for her left breast tumor, associated with a pericardial effusion requiring emergency drainage. Microbiological identification by matrix-assisted laser desorption-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) demonstrated the exclusive presence of K. schroeteri from the subculture of the aerobic enrichment broth of the pericardial fluid. Prompt initiation of antibiotic therapy adapted to the results of the antimicrobial susceptibility testing led to clinical and biological improvement, marked by normalization of inflammatory indicators. This case sheds light on an emerging microbiological pathogen with the potential to affect a variety of tissues, putting the vital prognosis at risk, and underlines the need for heightened clinical suspicion and an adapted therapeutic approach in immunocompromised patients.