Invasive Bordetella holmesii infections

Abstract

Bordetella holmesii is a rare cause of invasive human disease. The fastidious and unusual nature of this organism makes routine isolation and identification challenging. We report two cases of B. holmesii bacteremia that were rapidly identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) when standard techniques failed to provide speciation. There are no current standards for susceptibility testing or treatment recommendations. The rare occurrence and challenges in identifying this pathogen led us to perform a comprehensive review of the epidemiology, clinical presentations, and treatment options for this potentially invasive pathogen.

Keywords::

• Bordetella
• spectrometry
• mass
• matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization

Acknowledgment

The Department of Graduate Medical Education provided funding to support the MALDI-TOF (Bruker-Daltonics, Inc.) device rental fee.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.