Burkholderia vietnamiensis Bacteraemia After Lung Transplantation in a Patient With Diffuse Panbronchiolitis

Lung transplant recipients are at risk of opportunistic infections because of immunosuppression. We report a case of Burkholderia vietnamiensis bacteraemia that occurred 3 months after bilateral lung transplantation for diffuse panbronchiolitis. Persistent bacteraemia developed despite apparent in vitro susceptibility to meropenem. Therefore, antimicrobial therapy was reassessed and modified according to the clinical course rather than susceptibility results alone, which resulted in clearance of bacteraemia. The patient recovered without recurrence during a short‐term follow‐up. This case highlights an important clinical lesson that antimicrobial susceptibility testing may not reliably predict the treatment response in Burkholderia cepacia complex infections after lung transplantation. Early reassessment of therapy should be considered when bacteraemia persists despite apparently active antimicrobial agents.