Rare cause of Peritoneal Dialysis–Related Peritonitis in a child: Abiotrophi defectiva

Abstract Background: Abiotrophia defective is a frequently reported clinical infection; however, it is rarely implicated in peritoneal dialysis–related infections in peritonitis patients. Case presentation: We report a rare case of peritoneal dialysis–related peritonitis caused by Abiotrophia defective in a child. A 12-year-old Chinese child with a history of chronic kidney disease stage 5 presented with abdominal pain and vomiting. She had a cell count of 567.10 × 106/L cells, of which 84% were polymorphonuclear. Peritoneal dialysis effluent was cultured using standard protocols, and the organism was identified as Abiotrophia defective by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. The patient responded well to ceftazidime and vancomycin, and ten days later, peritoneal dialysis effluent culture and white cell counts were negative. Conclusion: This is the first case of Abiotrophia defective peritoneal dialysis-Peritonitis in a chronic kidney disease stage 5 child reported in Asia. This infection may be more prevalent, but has been overlooked until the recent introduction of techniques such as matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry and 16S RNA sequencing. Clinicians and microbiologists should pay greater attention to this organism in patients with peritoneal dialysis -Peritonitis, as its pathogenicity is often underestimated.