Sinus infection due to Eikenella corrodens.

Eikenella corrodens is a gram-negative rod that has been identified as a cause of endocarditis, osteomyelitis, pneumonia, cellulitis, and other infections. Because it is difficult to grow unless it is incubated in 10% carbon dioxide and because it may be overgrown by other organisms, it can be overlooked as a sinus pathogen. This is a report of the isolation of E corrodens from the sinuses of three patients with sinusitis. Three important features of infection with E corrodens, which are illustrated by these cases, are as follows: (1) the indolence of E corrodens infections; (2) the unusual susceptibility pattern of E corrodens; and (3) the fact that E corrodens is often isolated in mixed culture. The purulent contents of sinus cavities should be cultured in aerobic, anaerobic, and 10% carbon dioxide atmospheres.