Pyogenic Spondylitis in a Healthy Adult Caused by Burkholderia cepacia

Burkholderia cepacia is an important pathogen of humans in both immunocompromised or hospitalized patients. This aerobic gram-negative rod causes various clinically significant infections such as pneumonia, bacteremia, urinary tract infection, peritonitis, endophthalmitis, and keratitis. This uncommon pathogen is mainly associated with cystic fibrosis, dialysis, and immunocompromised states. We observed a 73-year-old woman without any underlying diseases, who had both lower leg pain and fever. She was later found to have spondylitis with epidural abscess at L5-S1. Culture of the epidural abscess revealed the growth of B. cepacia. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of pyogenic spondylitis caused by a rare infection of B. cepacia to be reported in Korea