| Sumario: | Methylobacterium species rarely cause human disease. Those isolated from humans are usually found as opportunistic pathogens in patients weakened by an underlying disease process. This report describes a case of Methylobacterium bacteremia in a 35-year-old woman with AIDS, compares the clinical presentation of this case with that of other previously reported cases of Methylobacterium infection, and provides a history of the Methylobacterium genus and its relevant taxonomy. Recommendations for presumptive identification include pink to orange colony growth on blood or Sabouraud agar but not on MacConkey agar; gram-negative, vacuolated bacillus or coccobacillus; growth at 25 to 30 degrees C and not at 42 degrees C; and positive results on tests for oxidase and urease. Antibiotics with demonstrated efficacy against Methylobacterium species include amikacin, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, ceftizoxime, and ceftriaxone.
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