A Case of Biliary Sepsis Caused byHafnia Alveiin a Patient with Cholangiocarcinoma

Hafnia alvei is a Gram-negative rod that is rarely isolated from human specimens and is rarely pathogenic. It has been associated with gastroenteritis, pneumonia, urinary tract infection, bacteremia, and nosocomial wound infection, but extra-intestinal H. alvei infection is very rare. We present a case of biliary sepsis caused by H. alvei. A 42-year-old woman was admitted with abdominal pain and jaundice. She was diagnosed with metastatic cholangiocarcinoma and received conservative treatment. Six days later, hyperbilirubinemia and signs of sepsis developed and H. alvei was isolated from both the bile and blood. Despite treatment with antibiotics the organism was sensitive to (it was documented as susceptible to piperacillin/tazobactam and ciprofloxacin in sensitivity tests), the patient’s condition grew worse. The antibiotics were switched to meropenem and the biliary sepsis was resolved. (Korean J Med 2012;83:534-537)