Burkholderia contaminans: unusual cause of biliary sepsis.

We report a case of biliary tract infection caused by a strain of Burkholderia contaminans, a member of the Burkholderia cepacia complex. The patient developed sepsis after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Gram-negative bacilli were isolated from blood and bile cultures. Automated bacterial identification systems identified the organism as Burkholderia cepacia, whereas DNA sequence analysis revealed that the recA gene isolate was identical to that of B. contaminans. The patient responded to therapy with the antibiotics trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and biliary tract decompression. This case suggests that B. contaminans can be a causative agent of healthcare-associated biliary tract infections such as ERCP-related cholangitis.