Influenza A non-H1N1 associated with acute respiratory failure and acute renal failure in a previously vaccinated cystic fibrosis patient

Abstract

In the 2014 - 2015 season, most influenza infections were due to A (H3N2) viruses. More than two-thirds of circulating A (H3N2) viruses are antigenically and genetically different (drifted) from the A (H3N2) vaccine component of 2014 - 2015 northern and southern Hemisphere seasonal influenza vaccines. The purpose of this paper is to report a case of seasonal influenza A non-H1N1 infection that occurred in June 2015 in an adult cystic fibrosis patient with severe lung disease previously vaccinated with the anti-flu trivalent vaccine. The patient evolved to respiratory and renal failure (without rhabdomyolysis) and was placed under mechanical ventilation and hemodialysis. The clinical outcome was positive after 39 days of hospital stay. In addition, the patient was clinically stable after 18 months of follow-up. With the recent advances in critical care medicine and in cystic fibrosis treatment, survival with advanced pulmonary disease in cystic fibrosis presents new questions and potential problems, which are still being formulated.