Sarcina Ventriculi infection: a rare but fearsome event. A Systematic Review of the Literature

Objectives: This study is aimed to report a case of SV-related gastritis and the results of a systematic literature review of SV infections. Methods: Following a case presentation, we systematically searched different databases (MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, EMBASE, google scholar) for the items sarcina,ventriculi,clostridium with AND/OR. Results: A total of 55 articles reporting 65 cases of Sarcina Ventriculi were found. Thus, 66 patients, including our case, were reviewed. The median age was 51 years (IQR: 0-87 years). Females accounted for 51% of cases. 68% of patients had one or more comorbidities. SV was isolated in the gastrointestinal tract (88%), respiratory (5%), urine (4%), and bloodstream (3%) systems. Upper endoscopy was performed in 52 patients (79%). Biopsies were obtained in all 52 cases and were normal in 23%. Surgery was warranted in 15 patients (23%), and specific antimicrobial therapy was delivered in 34 (52%) patients. Mortality was 14%. At follow-up, 88% of patients showed complete eradication of the SV infection. Conclusions: Upper gastrointestinal biopsy positive for SV should prompt an evaluation of the clinical conditions, considering the risk of gastric perforation is not negligible. Antibiotic therapy may eradicate the infection and prevent complications. Emergency surgery is required in case of source control. (C) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of International Society for Infectious Diseases.

Automated summary

This study reports a case of SV-related gastritis and conducts a systematic literature review on SV infections. The results show that most cases achieve complete eradication of the infection after treatment, but there is still a certain mortality rate. Upper gastrointestinal biopsy positive for SV should be taken seriously, and prompt treatment is necessary.