July 2nd – Comamonas testosteroni is an aerobic, motile, non-spore-forming, medium-to-long gram-negative bacillus which occurs singly or in pairs and is known to use testosterone. It is an environmental organism of worldwide distribution that is found in water, soil, and on plants. Indeed, it has also been found in the water of in-use hospital oxygen humidifier reservoirs. It is part of the Pseudomonas rRNA homology group III which is now classified in the Comamonadaceae family that includes the genera Comamonas, Delftia, and Acidovorax. Pseudomonas testosteroni and Pseudomonas acidovorans were reclassified as members of the genus Comamonas in 1987, of which Comamonas terrigena had been a sole species since 1985 when the genus was created. They were reclassified based on phenotypic characteristics, chemotaxonomic characters, and DNA homology. Comamonas acidovorans has since been reclassified as Delftia acidovorans. C. testosteroni received its name as it is reported that it decomposes testosterone, although this same property has been demonstrated by other Pseudomonas species and some fungi. The pathogenic potential of this organism has not been well recognized, and it is normally considered to be a commensal in most cases. The following is the description of a patient with septic shock secondary to C. testosteroni bacteremia who had metastatic esophageal carcinoma.