Bordetella bronchiseptica in a pediatric Cystic Fibrosis center

BackgroundBordetella bronchiseptica is a common pathogenic or colonizing organism of domestic mammals. In dogs, it causes an infectious tracheobronchitis known as Kennel Cough. Human infections are unusual and almost exclusively described in immunocompromised patients who have had contact with a known animal reservoir. It is rarely reported in Cystic Fibrosis (CF), possibly hampered by low recovery from culture and organism misidentification. We describe the incidence and characteristics of B. bronchiseptica in our CF population.MethodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted of our center's CF patient population. Patients were included if they had B. bronchiseptica isolated on one or more occasion.ResultsSeven children with CF isolated B. bronchiseptica on 23 occasions, frequently associated with the symptoms of a pulmonary exacerbation. Four patients required hospitalization.ConclusionThese results suggest that B. bronchiseptica may be more common than previously reported and may play a potential pathogenic role in CF.