Septic shock due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a previously healthy woman.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa septicemia rarely occurs in non-immunocompromised adults. We present a case of septic shock following Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia in a previously healthy 48-year-old woman. The onset was sudden, with back pain, pyrexia and shock. Chest radiographs revealed pneumonia, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was identified from blood and sputum cultures. Therapy with dopamine, piperacillin and fluid replacement led to a prompt recovery. Laboratory tests failed to reveal any immunological deficits. Including this case, only five cases of Pseudomonas aeruginosa septicemia in patients though to be non-immunocompromised have been reported. Two remarkable features of this type of Pseudomonas infection are apparent: i) it commonly develops from pneumonia and ii) it has a better prognosis than that in immunocompromised hosts.