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Case Report
Necrotizing and cavitary pneumonia due to Bordetella bronchiseptica transmission from a cat: A case report
1 FRACP, Respiratory Physician, Mackay Base Hospital, Mackay, Australia
2 26th Year Bachelor of Medicine/ Bachelor of Surgery, College of Medicine & Dentistry, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia
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Pranav Kumar
FRACP, Respiratory Physician, Mackay Base Hospital, Mackay,
Australia
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Article ID: 101536Z01PK2026
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Kumar P, Uthayakumar L. Necrotizing and cavitary pneumonia due to Bordetella bronchiseptica transmission from a cat: A case report. Int J Case Rep Images 2026;17(1):38–41.ABSTRACT
Introduction: Bordetella bronchiseptica is an animal-associated respiratory pathogen. Human infection is uncommon but can be severe, especially in older people or those with comorbidities.
Case Report: A 75-year-old woman presented with fever, dyspnea, and productive cough. Imaging showed necrotizing cavitary pneumonia. B. bronchiseptica was isolated on respiratory culture, and close daily exposure to a coughing pet cat was the likely source. She improved with intravenous piperacillin-tazobactam and oral ciprofloxacin, with near-complete radiological resolution at six weeks.
Conclusion: This case highlights the need to consider zoonotic pathogens in atypical pneumonia, to obtain an exposure history, and to target antibiotics based on microbiology and susceptibility results.
Keywords: Bordetella bronchiseptica, Cavitary pneumonia, Necrotizing pneumonia, Zoonosis
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Acknowledgments
The authors used an AI language model to assist with grammar and readability during manuscript preparation. All clinical content, interpretations, and the final text were reviewed and approved by the authors.
Author ContributionsPranav Kumar - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis of data, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Lavieen Uthayakumar - Acquisition of data, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Final approval of the version to be published
Guarantor of SubmissionThe corresponding author is the guarantor of submission.
Source of SupportNone
Consent StatementWritten informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this article.
Data AvailabilityAll relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files.
Conflict of InterestAuthors declare no conflict of interest.
Copyright© 2026 Pranav Kumar et al. This article is distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original author(s) and original publisher are properly credited. Please see the copyright policy on the journal website for more information.
