Fatal hemorrhagic bronchopneumonia caused by Bordetella bronchiseptica in an immunocompetent patient.

Introduction: Bordetella bronchiseptica is a rare cause of hemorrhagic bronchopneumonia. Important to the clinician is a clear understanding that the treatment of this rare organism differs greatly from the successful antibiotic treatment of the more common Bordetella species, pertussis and parapertussis.

Case report: A 64-year-old female presented to the emergency department after experiencing one week of worsening hemoptysis. Upon admission, she was afebrile and all initial laboratory test results were normal. Bronchoalveolar hemorrhage suggested by radiographic imaging was confirmed by bronchoscopy. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cultures contained unspeciated Bordetella. Rapid worsening of the hemoptysis led to intubation and the decision to perform bronchial artery embolization. However, the intensity of the hemoptysis persisted. Septic shock ensued despite treatment with broad spectrum antibiotics including azithromycin, vancomycin, and cefepime. The microbiological speciation results finalized shortly after the patient's death. The identified organism was B. bronchiseptica.

Conclusions: Although macrolide antibiotics are first line treatment for B. pertussis and parapertussis, macrolide antibiotics are generally not effective against B. bronchiseptica. Clinical suspicion of B. bronchiseptica infection should prompt consideration of alternative antibiotics known to be effective against this rare species, including carbapenems and fluoroquinolones. The use of these latter antibiotics may advisably be considered as an empirical treatment during the delay of microbiological speciation.