Spectrum and significance of bacteremia due to Moraxella catarrhalis

Fifty-eight cases of bacteremia due to Moraxella catarrhalis, including seven that occurred in patients treated at our facilities, are analyzed. The host's medical history plays a major role in the presentation and outcome of M. catarrhalis bacteremia. Bacteremia is typically accompanied by pneumonia in adults with underlying respiratory disease. Many neutropenic patients do not manifest a focus of infection; in contrast, the source identified in healthy, immunocompetent patients is usually the upper airway or the ears. In the recent literature, it has been reported that a rash is typically absent in adults with bacteremic pneumonia and in immunocompetent hosts and that only some neutropenic patients have a rash. The prognosis is grave for patients with endocarditis and for patients with immunoglobulin deficiency or neutropenia not related to a hematologic malignancy. In addition, mortality is substantial among bacteremic patients with respiratory conditions or other chronic debilities, especially when respiratory copathogens are present. The prognosis is good for febrile neutropenic patients with underlying leukemia or lymphoma when the neutropenia resolves. When healthy, immunocompetent individuals are affected with M. catarrhalis bacteremia, their presentations range from self-limited febrile illness to life-threatening disease.