Staphylococcus intermedius is not only a zoonotic pathogen, but may also cause skin abscesses in humans after exposure to saliva

Abstract

Background: Staphylococcus intermedius is a very rare human pathogen. There are only 16 cases in the literature that have described S. intermedius as a cause of infection in humans. Most of these cases have been described in association with exposure to animals, mostly dogs. However, this pathogen can cause infection in healthy individuals even without exposure to animals.

Methods: All previous cases of S. intermedius infection included in our literature review were found using a PubMed search (1960-November 2009) of the English-language medical literature applying the terms 'Staphylococcus intermedius', 'abscess', 'infection', 'humans'. The references cited in these articles were examined to identify additional reports.

Results: We describe the first case of skin abscesses caused by S. intermedius in an immunocompetent patient who used intravenous cocaine after coating his syringes with his saliva. We also summarize the literature regarding infections caused by S. intermedius in humans.

Conclusions: This case illustrates for the first time that S. intermedius can cause skin abscesses in humans after direct inoculation of this pathogen into the skin and soft tissues. Clinicians should be aware of the fact that although the vast majority of infections from coagulase-positive Staphylococcus infections are secondary to Staphylococcus aureus, S. intermedius is also a potential pathogen in humans.