Beyond Pertussis: Bordetella holmesii Bacteremia in Children With Sickle Cell Disease: A Case Series with Literature Review.
Matthew Harris, Muayad Alali, John C Christenson
✦ AI-curated · Sources linked
Case in brief
The report describes two children with sickle cell disease who developed bacteremia caused by Bordetella holmesii. The authors note that diagnostic limitations can lead to B. holmesii being mistaken for B. pertussis, complicating identification of the cause. Reduced β-lactam susceptibility is also highlighted as a treatment consideration. The abstract does not provide individual clinical findings, diagnostic methods, antimicrobial regimens, or outcomes, so the cases’ resolution cannot be specified further.
What made this case unusual
The diagnostic pitfall is confusion with B. pertussis; the report also highlights reduced β-lactam susceptibility in this invasive infection.
Diagnostic / clinical pearl
In a child with sickle cell disease and bacteremia, consider B. holmesii and account for the possibility of misidentification as B. pertussis when interpreting diagnostic results.