Moraxella Bacteremia in Cancer Patients

Abstract

Moraxella is a gram-negative bacterium part of the Moraxellaceae family. It is a pathogen that is commonly found in the upper respiratory tract of humans. It is a rare cause of community-acquired pneumonia and can be found in immunocompromised individuals, especially those with impaired humoral immunity such as hypogammaglobulinemia and those with lung diseases. We present three cases of Moraxella infections at the Moffitt Cancer Center between the years 2011 and 2017. We performed a literature review of Moraxella bacteremia in cancer patients and included three patients, two with a history of multiple myeloma and one undergoing radiation therapy for non-small cell lung carcinoma. None of the patients died as a result of the infection. Moraxella infections can result in a range of severity with increasing resistance to antibiotic therapy.