Infectious Spondylitis in a Patient with Chronic Kidney Disease: Identification of Campylobacter fetus Subsp. testudinum by 16S Ribosomal RNA Sequencing.

We report the first case of spondylitis with bacteremia caused by Campylobacter fetus subsp. testudinum identified by 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) gene sequencing. An 81-year-old man presented with fever and general weakness. His medical history included end-stage renal disease, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes. Despite empirical antibiotic treatment, his fever and back pain persisted. Magnetic resonance imaging with gadolinium enhancement showed a low-signal-intensity lesion in T1-weighted imaging and a high-signal-intensity lesion in T2-weighted imaging at the L3 vertebral body. C. fetus grew on 1 pair of blood cultures. C. fetus subsp. testudinum was identified via 16S rRNA sequencing of the cultivated organisms. The patient recovered uneventfully after 6 weeks of optimal antibiotic treatment, selected using susceptibility tests. C. fetus spondylitis is a very rare disease. In this unique case involving end-stage renal disease, the underlying pathogen was identified by 16S rRNA sequencing.