SYNOPSIS

We report 2 cases of pulmonary Bordetella hinzii infection in immunodeficient patients. One of these rare cases dem-onstrated the potential transmission of the bacteria from an avian reservoir through occupational exposure and its persistence in humans. We establish bacteriologic man-agement of these infections and suggest therapeutic op-tions if needed. Bordetella hinzii bacteria cause respiratory infections in birds and have been isolated from rodents on rare oc-casions (1,2). Pulmonary infection, digestive infection, and bacteriemia in humans have been reported (3–5). B. hinzii can persist for>1 years in the respiratory tract of humans (5), but its transmission from birds has not been proven. Through 2 new cases and a brief review of the literature, we show a possible association between occupational risk and pulmonary colonization by B. hinzii. Then, we suggest how to manage these infections in humans, although patho-genicity of this bacterium remains unclear