Korean J Crit Care Med.  2013 Aug;28(3):187-191. 10.4266/kjccm.2013.28.3.187.

A Case of Burkholderia cepacia Pneumonia after Lung Transplantation in a Recipient without Cystic Fibrosis

• Cho JS
• Na S
• Park MS
• So Y
• Lee B
• Koh SO
• Paik HC

• KMID: 2227838
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4266/kjccm.2013.28.3.187

Abstract

Burkholderia cepacia is a highly virulent pathogen known to cause opportunistic infections in immunocompromised patients. It accelerates lung disease and causes necrotizing pneumonia with associated severe sepsis, known as cepacia syndrome. In particular, lung transplant recipients infected with Burkholderia cepacia show higher mortality after lung transplantation than those who are not infected with this organism. Due to broad-spectrum antibiotic resistance, a combination therapy should be used according to the results of the susceptibility test. This bacterial infection is rare in Korea, and no case was reported in lung transplant recipients. However, we report a case of pneumonia caused by Burkholderia cepacia after lung transplantation. As Burkholderia cepacia was grown from a sputum culture, the patient was treated initially with a combination of meropenem and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and then ceftazidime and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole as a result of leukopenia. After antibiotics treatment for 20 days, sputum cultures became negative for Burkholderia cepacia and the patient successfully recovered.

Keyword

Burkholderia cepacia; lung transplantation; pneumonia

MeSH Terms

Anti-Bacterial Agents
Bacterial Infections
Burkholderia
Burkholderia cepacia
Ceftazidime
Cystic Fibrosis
Drug Resistance, Microbial
Humans
Immunocompromised Host
Korea
Leukopenia
Lung
Lung Diseases
Lung Transplantation
Opportunistic Infections
Pneumonia
Sepsis
Sputum
Thienamycins
Anti-Bacterial Agents
Ceftazidime
Thienamycins