A Rare Case of Catheter-Related Bloodstream Infection Caused by Cupriavidus pauculus

Background: Cupriavidus pauculus is a gram-negative, aerobic bacillus found in environment. This microorganism can rarely cause serious infections in immunocompromised patients. Catheter-related bloodstream infection caused by Cupriavidus pauculus is a hospital acquired infection which is an infrequent state with very few cases reported in the literature. In this research, we report the first case of Cupriavidus pauculus infection in Iran. Methods: Blood cultures were performed using the BD BACTEC (Becton, Dickinson, USA) automated haemoculture system and subsequently the gram negative bacilli with regular borders, smooth consistency and dry appearance colonies were identified as Cupriavidus pauculus by the BD Phoenix M50 Compact automated system. Results: In this paper, we report the first case of Cupriavidus pauculus infection in Iran. this strain was susceptible to Piperacillin-Tazobactam, Ceftazidime, Cefepime, Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole, Ciprofloxacin, Levofloxacin and resistant to Cefazolin, Ampicillin and Amoxicillin-Clavulanate and is intrinsically resistant to Aminoglycosides, first generation Cephalosporins, Aminopenicillins, Ampicillin-Sulbactam, Ticarcillin and Ceftriaxone. Conclusion: There are little evidence in the literature about infections caused by Cupriavidus pauculus. Catheter-related bloodstream infection caused by Cupriavidus pauculus is an infrequent infection in humans, but this microorganism should be considered as a potential pathogen in hospitalized immunocompromised patients which can cause serious infections in these individuals, requiring broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy.