LAUSR

Eikenella corrodens mainly resides in the oral cavity as a part of the human oral microbiota. Infections caused by this organism are particularly rare. We report a case of a left-hand soft tissue infection caused by E. corrodens and Streptococcus anginosus, following the use of a toothpick. A 66-year-old Chinese man was admitted to our hospital with complaints of redness, swelling, and pain in the left hand accompanied with fluid discharge from the wound for 5 days. After the patient had eaten dinner and used a toothpick to pick his teeth, he forgot the toothpick containing the bacteria in his right hand while patting a mosquito, that caused an infection when the toothpick poked into the ring finger of his left hand. He was diagnosed with a left-hand soft tissue infection after a series of examinations. Cultures of the drained pus revealed E. corrodens and S. anginosus. After a month of incision, drainage, debridement and antibiotic therapy, the patient gradually recovered. This was a serious infection of hand caused by an unusual mode of transmission of pathogens and the smear of pus revealed mixed growth which gave a clue to the etiology. Not applicable.