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di Summa PG, Yvon A, Larcher L, et al. Propionibacterium avidum infection following breast reduction: high morbidity from a low-virulence pathogen. J Surg Case Rep. 2015;2015(2)doi: 10.1093/jscr/rjv002.
di Summa, P. G., Yvon, A., Larcher, L., Raffoul, W., & Koch, N. (2015). Propionibacterium avidum infection following breast reduction: high morbidity from a low-virulence pathogen. Journal of surgical case reports, 2015(2), . https://doi.org/10.1093/jscr/rjv002
di Summa, Pietro G, et al. "Propionibacterium avidum infection following breast reduction: high morbidity from a low-virulence pathogen." Journal of surgical case reports vol. 2015,2 (2015). doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/jscr/rjv002
di Summa PG, Yvon A, Larcher L, Raffoul W, Koch N. Propionibacterium avidum infection following breast reduction: high morbidity from a low-virulence pathogen. J Surg Case Rep. 2015 Feb 10;2015(2). doi: 10.1093/jscr/rjv002. PMID: 25672974; PMCID: PMC4323737.
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J Surg Case Rep. 2015 Feb 10;2015(2). doi: 10.1093/jscr/rjv002.

Propionibacterium avidum infection following breast reduction: high morbidity from a low-virulence pathogen.

Journal of surgical case reports

Pietro G di Summa, Adrien Yvon, Lorenz Larcher, Wassim Raffoul, Nathalie Koch

Affiliations

  1. Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland [email protected].
  2. University Hospital of South Manchester, Manchester, UK.
  3. Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, BHB - PMU, Salzburg, Austria.
  4. Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland.

PMID: 25672974 PMCID: PMC4323737 DOI: 10.1093/jscr/rjv002

Abstract

Propionibacterium avidum is a common inhabitant of sebaceous glands, traditionally considered to be of low virulence and generally found on implanted foreign material. We report a rare case of P. avidum breast abscess, causing severe morbidity following breast reduction surgery. A 36-year-old woman presented with a non-painful wound discharge 3 weeks postoperatively, and was treated conservatively. She was readmitted 7 weeks postoperatively with a red and tender breast. A purulent discharging abscess was drained under ultrasound guidance. A 2-week intravenous course of amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, followed by oral replacement for a month resulted effective. Serial ultrasound imaging was useful in treatment decision-making. The infective potential of P. avidum may be underappreciated. Proximity of sutures to the axilla, tobacco smoking and the potential for resorbable sutures to host bacteria may predispose to infection, and should raise the clinician's awareness.

Published by Oxford University Press and JSCR Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. © The Author 2015.

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