Streptococcus bovis catheter infection and the short bowel syndrome.

Streptococcus bovis bacteremia has been associated with several gastrointestinal disorders, most notably carcinoma of the colon. This report describes a 57-year-old woman with short bowel syndrome in whom S. bovis bacteremia and an infection of an indwelling parenteral nutrition catheter developed. A barium enema revealed diverticula and a foreshortened small intestine. This case implicates the short bowel syndrome in the pathogenesis of S. bovis bacteremia and supports empiric antibiotic coverage for both skin flora and enteric pathogens in patients with Hickman catheter sepsis and known gastrointestinal pathologic conditions.