Soft tissue infections with Arcanobacterium haemolyticum: report of three cases.

We report here three polymicrobial wound infections associated with Arcanobacterium haemolyticum in rural patients aged between 60-65 years. In two patients, one with cellulitis and the other with postoperative wound infection following amputation of the limb, Arcanobacterium haemolyticum was isolated repeatedly along with beta haemolytic streptococci (BHS). The BHS belonged to Lancefield's group G and group C respectively. In another patient, who was a diabetic with chronic osteomyelitis, Arcanobacterium haemolyticum was isolated along with Proteus vulgaris . All the three isolates of Arcanobacterium haemolyticum isolated by us were uniformly resistant to cotrimoxazole and sensitive to penicillin, erythromycin, clindamycin, ciprofloxacin and gentamicin. Erythromycin alone or combined therapy of penicillin with erythromycin or penicillin with ciprofloxacin was effective in treating these infections.