Objective: To describe the clinical features of severe pneumonitis with Aeromonas veronii biovar sobria.
Method: Case report and review of the related literatures. The clinical symptoms, laboratory tests, radiographic patterns, diagnosis, and therapeutic management of a case of severe pneumonia caused by A. veronii biovar sobria were described.
Results: The clinical symptoms of this patient included cough and sputum production with high fever, followed by acute respiratory distress symptom associated with septic shock. Progressive infiltration of lungs was evident in chest radiography, changes suggestive of interstitial pneumonia. Oxygenation was improved by mechanical ventilation and anti-shock therapy was administered. A. veronii biovar sobria was grown in three consecutive cultures of airway secretions by fiberoptic bronchoscopy. Mild interstitial inflammation was revealed by pathology of transbronchial lung biopsy specimens. The clinical symptoms and the chest infiltrates improved significantly after therapy with antibiotics and glucocorticoids.
Conclusions: A. veronii biovar sobria, an intestinal bacterial pathogen, can cause severe pneumonia, which is often underestimated and inadequately understood. Appropriate antibiotics, glucocorticoids and nutritional support are effective treatments.