Delayed infection with Parvimonas micra following spinal instrumentation

Background context: Delayed-onset surgical site infections following spinal instrumentation are uncommon and often present with chronic pain and implant failure. Anaerobic organisms are rarely implicated and identified with difficulty in these infections. Purpose: We report a case of vertebral osteomyelitis and epidural abscess due to Parvimonas micra, an anaerobic bacterium, six months following spinal instrumentation. Study design/setting: Case Report. Results: P.micra was identified from multiple intraoperative tissue and hardware specimens. With hardware explant and antibiotic therapy, the patient had a successful outcome. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first report of a P. micra hardware-associated spinal infection.