Moraxella osloensis Bacteremia and Pneumonia in a Seventeen-Year-Old Patient

Abstract

Moraxella osloensis (M. osloensis) is a rare cause of bacteremia and pneumonia in pediatric patients. The published case reports of M. osloensis bacteremia are limited. Among children, there are only seven cases of invasive disease from M. osloensis identified, and specific treatment guidelines are not available. Our case adds to the limited literature on this rare bacterium and highlights the need to better define antimicrobial resistance patterns. Here we report a case of a 17-year-old previously healthy female admitted with M. osloensis bacteremia and pneumonia. The patient initially presented with clinical and radiographic findings consistent with community-acquired pneumonia and was sent home after an emergency department (ED) visit with oral antibiotic treatment. She was advised to return for admission after the blood culture obtained in the ED reported growth and was noted to have persistent symptoms despite antibiotic adherence. Treatment with ceftriaxone for 3 days intravenously followed by 7 days of oral cefdinir resulted in rapid clinical improvement and resolution of her infection. Due to its sparse prevalence in the literature, there is currently no standard antibiotic regimen for treatment of invasive infections with M. osloensis; a variety of therapies ranging from 7 to 14 days in duration have been successfully employed. While Moraxella species (e.g., Moraxella catarrhalis (M. catarrhalis)) are typically ?-lactamase producing, reports regarding ?-lactamase production by M. osloensis have been inconsistent. M. osloensis is a rare cause of invasive infection in adolescents. Given limited published data regarding antibiotic sensitivities of this specific organism, microbiologic sensitivities should be obtained if possible and response to therapy should be closely monitored.

Int J Clin Pediatr. 2022;11(2):56-59
doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/ijcp483