Infectious Disease ·
Cat-Bite–Associated Metamycoplasma gateae Osteomyelitis Reported in Japan
An early-release case report describes osteomyelitis caused by Metamycoplasma gateae in a 39-year-old immunocompromised woman after a cat bite. Routine cultures were negative; 16S rRNA sequencing identified the organism, and the patient improved after drainage and minocycline treatment.
- First reported human M. gateae infection followed a cat bite.
- Routine cultures were negative; 16S sequencing identified the organism.
- Symptoms improved after drainage and minocycline treatment.
- A single case cannot establish treatment standards.
A 39-year-old woman in Japan with systemic lupus erythematosus treated with immunosuppressive drugs, type 1 diabetes and hypogammaglobulinemia developed persistent right-hand pain and swelling after a cat bite. Imaging showed osteomyelitis of the third metacarpal. Routine pus and tissue cultures were negative, and symptoms persisted during treatment with beta-lactam antibiotics. The report is an early-release case report; no study sample beyond this patient was involved.
On hospital day 11, 16S rRNA gene sequencing of tissue identified M. gateae, with 99.86% sequence similarity to a reference strain. The patient’s swelling improved after minocycline was started on day 12, following incision and drainage. She was discharged on day 29 and advised to continue oral minocycline for more than four weeks.
The authors suggest considering M. gateae in immunocompromised patients with animal-bite exposure, negative routine cultures and poor response to beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor therapy. This is the first reported human infection, and treatment is not standardized. Identification relied on 16S sequencing; whole-genome sequencing was not performed, so misclassification cannot be excluded. Drainage may also have contributed to recovery.
In practice
In an immunocompromised patient with cat-bite exposure, persistent infection, negative routine cultures and poor response to beta-lactam therapy, this case supports considering M. gateae and using molecular identification when routine testing is unrevealing. The patient improved after drainage and minocycline, but this is a single early-release case, and the authors note that treatment is not standardized. Identification was based on 16S rRNA sequencing rather than whole-genome sequencing, so misclassification cannot be excluded; the report does not establish a preferred regimen.
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Emerging Infectious Diseases: Osteomyelitis Caused by Metamycoplasma gateae after Cat Bite, Japan, 2026 ↗This is an automated AI-condensed summary that has not yet been reviewed by an editor. Always consult the full item at the original source.