Case Report: First report of Elizabethkingia miricola infection in a patient with cystic fibrosis

Abstract

Elizabethkingia miricola is a rare non-fermenting Gram-negative rod that has previously been reported to be associated with blood stream and pulmonary abscess infections, but never before in cystic fibrosis (CF). Here we present the first reported case of Elizabethkingia miricola infection in a patient with CF and discuss the management options. We describe a patient with CF in whom we observed clinical and spirometric evidence of pulmonary exacerbation with the associated growth of E. miricola in sputum culture. The period of clinical instability was observed to coincide with the obtainment of four sputum samples from which E. miricola was cultured; improvement was seen following treatment with ciprofloxacin and the subsequent eradication of E. miricola. We conclude that E. miricola is able to survive in the CF lung and in this case was associated with pulmonary exacerbation. Empirical treatment with fluoroquinolones is appropriate, based on our experience.

Keywords: Cystic fibrosis; chest infection; exacerbation; fluoroquinolone; shortness of breath.

Figure 1.. Lung function before and after positive sputum culture for Elizabethkingia miricola.

Dotted lines represent the time period between which four sputum cultures were positive for E. miricola.