Abdominal abscess and Hafnia alvei septicemia occurring during the aplastic phase after autologous stem-cell transplantation in a patient with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Hafnia alvei is a motile gram-negative bacterium that is rarely isolated from human specimens, but that sometimes can be found as part of the gastrointestinal flora. Here we report a rare case of Hafnia alvei septicemia with an abdominal abscess in a 60-year-old woman with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma involving the spleen, liver, and then lymph nodes. She initially received a splenectomy, and, over a 2-year period, four courses of chemotherapy. After achieving complete remission status, she underwent autologous peripheral blood stem-cell transplantation (PBSCT). During the aplastic phase following transplantation, the patient developed fever, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, with blood cultures positive for Hafnia alvei and an abscess in the splenic recess. Considering the high surgical risk, the infection was treated, successfully, with antibiotics (imipenem/cilastatin), without surgery or computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous drainage. Infections due to Hafnia alvei are rare, and this is the first reported case of Hafnia alvei septicemia in an adult hematologic patient undergoing a stem-cell transplantation procedure.