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Clinical Management of Severe Cupriavidus gilardii Superinfection After Influenza a Virus Pneumonia: A Case Report and Literature Review

Guo C, Sun C, Zheng J, Zhou Q, Liang Y

Infectious disease reports, 2026

32 participants

Abstract

Background: Cupriavidus is an aerobic Gram-negative bacterium and a rare conditional pathogen that mainly infects immunocompromised patients or those undergoing invasive procedures.

Methods: We present the case of a 70-year-old male with diabetes mellitus who developed septic shock following influenza A virus (IAV) pneumonia. Cupriavidus gilardii (C. gilardii) was identified in his blood and sputum samples. Through a literature review, we identified 31 reported cases of Cupriavidus infections. Clinical data, including demographic information, clinical characteristics, comorbidities, laboratory results, Cupriavidus species, treatment, and clinical outcomes, were collected.

Results: Among these 32 patients (including our patient), 23 were male (71.9%) and 9 were female (28.1%). The median patient age was 32.5 (2.12-70) years. Most patients had relevant risk factors or comorbidities before Cupriavidus infection, including exposure to polluted environments and recent invasive procedures (68.9%). Among these cases, Cupriavidus pauculus was the most common strain, accounting for 56.3% of cases. The mortality rate was the highest for Cupriavidus pauculus infections.

Conclusions: Cupriavidus is a rare opportunistic pathogen in patients with compromised immune function. Early identification of pathogen and timely treatment are crucial. When traditional microbiological detection methods encounter difficulties, gene sequencing can be used as an auxiliary diagnostic tool and can further…

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a case report, done in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health. Reported size: 32 participants or records.

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