95% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or good
Learn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish.
Find out more
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Med.
Sec. Infectious Diseases: Pathogenesis and Therapy
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1561379
Septic shock caused by Elizabethkingia miricola in an elderly trauma patient: A case report and a systematic review of the literature
Provisionally accepted- 1 First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- 2 Jiangsu Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
Purpose Elizabethkingia miricola is a rarely encountered pathogen in clinical settings, predominantly causing infections in immunocompromised individuals. To advance the understanding of E. miricola infection, we present a case of E. miricola infection and conduct a literature review.Methods We report a case of pulmonary infection caused by E. miricola in a 90-year-old trauma patient, marking the first documented instance of treatment with eravacycline. We also conducted a systematic review of the relevant literature. A comprehensive search was performed utilizing the PubMed and Web of Science databases up to November 2024. A qualitative synthesis was conducted on all available case reports and case series related to E. miricola infections. Results A total of 63 cases from 21 studies were included in this systematic review. According to these case reports, infections caused by E. miricola most commonly occur in lungs (34/63), bloodstream (6/63), and urinary tract (4/63). Risk factors for E. miricola infection include: immunodeficiency, prolonged hospitalization in intensive care unit (ICU), prolonged mechanical ventilation, and the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, with a considerable proportion of cases (17/63) being hosipital-acquired.Conclusion E. miricola represents a rare yet highly lethal opportunistic pathogen. Early identification and treatment with sensitive antibiotics are required to improve prognosis of patients. The present case and literature review provide options for diagnosis and treatment of similar cases in future, and serve as a reference for preventing and controlling the occurrence and spread of nosocomial infections.
Keywords: Elizabethkingia miricola, pulmonary infection, septic shock, case report, Systematic review
Received: 15 Jan 2025; Accepted: 31 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Mao, Feng, Li, Xu, Zhao, Xu, Bi and Yue. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Liqing Bi, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
Zhen Yue, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.