Rhodococcus peritonitis in a patient treated with peritoneal dialysis.

This report is of a patient treated with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis who developed peritonitis attributed to a Rhodococcus species. The rhodococci are rarely pathogenic to humans, and there are no previous reports of peritonitis associated with these organisms. It is important for clinicians to be aware of these bacteria because they can be acid-fast and can be confused with mycobacteria. They are often reported as "diphtheroids" but should not be considered contaminants.