Tuboovarian Abscess Caused by Atopobium vaginae following Transvaginal Oocyte Recovery

Walter Geißdörfer, Christoph Böhmer, Klaus Pelz, Christoph Schoerner, W. Frobenius, Christian Bogdan
In: Journal of Clinical Microbiology · 2003 · vol. 41(6) , pp. 2788–2790 · doi:10.1128/jcm.41.6.2788-2790.2003 · PMID:12791933 · PMC156532 · W2113581462
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

This report details a tuboovarian abscess in a woman who underwent transvaginal oocyte recovery, from which the anaerobic bacterium *Atopobium vaginae* was isolated.

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⚙ AI-generated deep summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-09 ⓘ

This case report describes a 39-year-old woman who developed acute pelvic inflammatory disease and a large left-sided tuboovarian abscess two months after ultrasound-guided transvaginal oocyte recovery, with intraoperative findings of extensive adhesions and severe inflammation including the appendix and peritoneum. Microbiological workup of an abscess swab identified Atopobium vaginae via PCR/sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, with additional characterization showing it behaved as a strict anaerobe and was susceptible to several antibiotics while being fully resistant to metronidazole; the authors also noted a limitation that retrospective susceptibility testing was performed on the isolate rather than assessing in vivo treatment response. They discuss broader evidence that transvaginal punctures carry a low but nonzero risk of pelvic infection and that severe endometriosis/endometriomas may increase risk, alongside an assumed route of spread given concurrent appendicitis/peritonitis. Relevance to endometriosis: the paper highlights that the patient had endometriotic disease (including an endometriotic cyst and prior endometriosis surgeries) and states that severe endometriosis and ovarian endometriomata can be an additional risk factor for infection after transvaginal oocyte pick-up, though this paper is primarily a microbiologic case report of A. vaginae–caused tuboovarian abscess.

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Abstract

A 39-year-old woman with tubarian sterility fell ill with acute pelvic inflammatory disease 2 months after transvaginal oocyte recovery. Laparotomy revealed a large tuboovarian abscess, from which Atopobium vaginae, an anaerobic gram-positive coccoid bacterium of hitherto unknown clinical significance, was isolated. The microbial etiology and the risk of pelvic infections following transvaginal punctures are discussed.

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