Moraxella catarrhalis bacteremia in adult with cardiogenic pulmonary edema

Bacteremia due to Moraxella Catarrhalis is rare. An 85-year-old Japanese woman had productive cough, dyspnea, and fever. She had type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic heart failure. Infiltration shown on chest radiography could be explained by heart failure or pneumonia. Initial blood culture yielded Gram-negative cocci, identified as M. catarrhalis. We therefore diagnosed cardiogenic pulmonary edema and M. catarrhalis pneumonia. M. catarrhalis has a high prevalence of β-lactamase production, so treatment comprised ampicillin/sulbactam. The clinical outcomes were favorable. Our case shows the importance of consideration of M. catarrhalis when patients with heart failure have pneumonia and the importance of blood culture for such patients.