Cutaneous infection due to Bacillus cereus: a case report

BACKGROUND: Bacillus cereus is a Gram-positive bacterium that can be found in various natural and human-made environments. It is often involved in gastrointestinal infections and food poisoning; yet, it can rarely cause serious non-gastrointestinal tract infections. CASE PRESENTATION: Here we describe a case of B. cereus cutaneous infection of a wound on the hand of a young woman from a rural area in Iran. On admission, she had no systemic symptoms other than a cutaneous lesion. The identification of the causative agent was performed using sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene of the bacteria isolated from the wound. The isolated microorganism was identified as B. cereus. Targeted antibiotic therapy with ciprofloxacin was successful. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Although non-intestinal infections caused by B. cereus are rare, it should be taken into consideration that this organism might also cause infections in other parts of the body.