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Fatal hemorrhagic pneumonia caused by Stenotrophomanas maltophilia in a patient with non-Hodgkin lymphoma

  • Case Report
  • Published:
Journal of Infection and Chemotherapy

Abstract

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is increasingly emerging as a multiresistant pathogen in the hospital environment. In immunosuppressed patients, this bacterium may cause severe infections associated with sepsis and multiple organ dysfunction. We report on a 57-year-old woman treated with intensive chemotherapy for non-Hodgkin lymphoma who developed severe neutropenia, hemorrhagic pneumonia, and acute respiratory failure, which led to her death within 36 h of onset of pneumonia. Postmortem examination revealed bilateral extensive intraalveolar hemorrhage associated with severe infection by the gram-negative bacterium Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. In vitro susceptibility testing showed resistance to carbapenem, cephalosporines and aminoglycosides, but sensitivity to minocycline, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (cotrimoxazole). Early diagnosis and adequate antibiotic treatment were difficult, as the clinical course was rapid and fulminant, and this bacterium is resistant to multiple antibiotics. To improve prognosis in such cases, it will be necessary to develop an effective prophylactic strategy for high-risk patients.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hematology, Nephrology, and Rheumatology, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1-1 Hondo, Akita, Akita, 010-8543, Japan

    Naoto Takahashi, Yoshihiro Kameoka, Hiroyuki Tagawa, Naohito Fujishima, Hirobumi Saitoh, Makoto Hirokawa & Kenichi Sawada

  2. Department of Molecular Pathology and Tumor Pathology, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Japan

    Toshiaki Yoshioka & Katsuhiko Enomoto

Authors
  1. Naoto Takahashi
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  2. Toshiaki Yoshioka
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  3. Yoshihiro Kameoka
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  4. Hiroyuki Tagawa
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  5. Naohito Fujishima
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  6. Hirobumi Saitoh
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  7. Makoto Hirokawa
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  8. Katsuhiko Enomoto
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  9. Kenichi Sawada
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Naoto Takahashi.

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Takahashi, N., Yoshioka, T., Kameoka, Y. et al. Fatal hemorrhagic pneumonia caused by Stenotrophomanas maltophilia in a patient with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. J Infect Chemother 17, 858–862 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10156-011-0261-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10156-011-0261-y

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