Bacteremia after Bacillus clausii administration for the treatment of acute diarrhea: a case report

Abstract

Bacillus clausii is a gram-positive rod used as a probiotic to treat diarrhea and the side effects of antibiotics such as pseudomembranous colitis. We report a case of B. clausii bacteremia in a non-immunocompromised patient with active peptic ulcer disease and acute diarrhea. The probiotic was administered during the patient's hospitalization due to diarrhea of infectious origin. B. clausii was identified in the bloodstream of the patient through Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight (MALDI-TOF), days after her discharge. Given the wide use of probiotics, we alert clinicians to consider this microorganism as a causative agent when signs of systemic infection, metabolic compromise, hemodynamic instability establish after its administration and there has not been any identified pathogens that could explain the clinical course.