Moraxella osloensis bacteremia, a case series and review of the literature

Abstract

Moraxella osloensis is a commensal gram-negative bacterium which is also reported to cause invasive infections mainly in immunocompromised individuals. There is a gap in knowledge regarding the clinical significance of its isolation owing to its rarity as well as difficulty in identification. This study aims to describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with M. osloensis bacteremia and was conducted at the facilities under Hamad medical corporation, state of Qatar. Patients with Moraxella osloensis detected in blood culture were identified and a retrospective data review was conducted. Nine patients were identified over a period of 6 years. Positive blood culture was considered significant clinically in only two patients. In both cases, isolates were sensitive to ampicillin and ceftriaxone. The outcomes were excellent and there were no recurrences in the one-month follow-up. M. osloensis is a human commensal which can rarely cause infections mainly in the susceptible population. Positive culture results should be considered significant in the appropriate clinical context.

Keywords

• Moraxella
• Osloensis
• Bacteremia
• Hospital acquired infection
• Commensal
• Immunocompromised