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Sarcina ventriculi is a Gram positive organism, which has been reported to be found rarely, in the gastric specimens of patients with gastroparesis. Only eight cases of Sarcina, isolated from gastric specimens have been reported so far. Sarcina has been implicated in the development of gastric ulcers, emphysematous gastritis and gastric perforation. We report a case of 73-year-old male, with history of prior Billroth II surgery and truncal vagotomy, who presented for further evaluation of iron deficiency anemia. An upper endoscopy revealed diffuse gastric erythema, along with retained food. Biopsies revealed marked inflammation with ulcer bed formation and presence of Sarcina organisms. The patient was treated with ciprofloxacin and metronidazole for 1 wk, and a repeat endoscopy showed improvement of erythema, along with clearance of Sarcina organisms. Review of reported cases including ours suggests that Sarcina is more frequently an innocent bystander rather than a pathogenic organism. However, given its association with life threatening illness in two reported cases, it may be prudent to treat with antibiotics and anti-ulcer therapy, until further understanding is achieved.

AIM: To study the demographic and endoscopic characteristics of patients with sessile serrated adenoma (SSA) in a single center. METHODS: Patients with SSA were identified by review of the pathology database of Mayo Clinic Arizona from 2005 to 2007. A retrospective chart review was performed to extract data on demographics, polyp characteristics, presence of synchronous adenomatous polyps or cancer, polypectomy methods, and related complications. RESULTS: One hundred and seventy-one (2.9%) of all patients undergoing colonoscopy had a total of 226 SSAs. The mean (SE) size of the SSAs was 8.1 (0.4) mm; 42% of SSAs were ≤ 5 mm, and 69% were ≤ 9 mm. Fifty-one per cent of SSAs were located in the cecum or ascending colon. Approximately half of the patients had synchronous polyps of other histological types, including hyperplastic and adenomatous polyps. Synchronous adenocarcinoma was present in seven (4%) cases. Ninety-seven percent of polyps were removed by colonoscopy. CONCLUSION: Among patients with colon polyps, 2.9% were found to have SSAs. Most of the SSAs were located in the right side and were safely managed by colonoscopy.