Delftia spp as Opportunistic Pathogens – Rise of a new threat?

Non-fermenting Gram-negative bacteria pose a considerable challenge in medical settings and are increasingly implicated in infections in these settings. Many are opportunistic pathogens that primarily affect patients with other acute or chronic health conditions. Among them, Delftia species—particularly Delftia acidovorans - have traditionally been regarded as of limited clinical relevance. However, a comprehensive literature review has identified 175 reported cases of Delftia infections, with D. acidovorans accounting the majority cases (87.4%). Bacteraemia was the most commonly associated condition, reported in 23 cases (13.1%) with other infections such as pneumonia (9.8%), sepsis (3.4%) and peritonitis (2.9%) also being prominent. The findings suggested that the antibiotics ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin and imipenem are usually effective in treating Delftia infections, but that gentamicin should be avoided. These findings suggest that while Delftia spp. may not be a widespread pathogen awareness and appropriate diagnostic recognition are required.