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BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.

Sec. Virus and Host

Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2025.1684054

This article is part of the Research TopicReviews in Virus and Host: Current Trends and New HorizonsView all articles

Unusual neutrophilic morphology in influenza A-induced septic shock: Blue-green inclusions and phagocytosis of autologous cells in a toddler

Provisionally accepted
  • Wuhan Children's Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Influenza A virus is a major cause of seasonal respiratory illness, typically self-limiting in children. However, in rare instances, it can lead to fulminant systemic complications such as acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE), sepsis-induced shock, and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). We report a rare case of a 2-year-3-month-old girl who developed sepsis-induced shock secondary to influenza A infection. The patient presented with sudden high fever, frequent seizures, impaired consciousness, and respiratory failure. Rapid clinical deterioration ensued, with evidence of profound hyperinflammatory response, coagulopathy, hepatic and myocardial injury, and lactic acidosis. Neurophysiological findings were consistent with ANE. Notably, peripheral blood smear revealed two rare hematologic features: blue-green neutrophilic inclusions (BGNIs) and neutrophilic phagocytosis of both lymphocytes and erythrocytes. These findings-unprecedented in the context of pediatric influenza A infection-may reflect severe immune dysregulation and oxidative stress. Despite aggressive multidisciplinary interventions, the patient succumbed to MODS and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) on day 4 of illness.This is the first reported pediatric case of influenza A infection with concurrent BGNIs and neutrophilic hemophagocytosis in peripheral blood. These morphological abnormalities may serve as hematological markers of life-threatening systemic inflammation in viral sepsis. Awareness and prompt recognition of these features may aid in prognostication and clinical decision-making for critically ill children with influenza.

Keywords: Influenza A virus, pediatric, septic shock, blue-green inclusions, Neutrophilic Hemophagocytosis

Received: 12 Aug 2025; Accepted: 02 Oct 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Li, WANG, Zeng and ma. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Changzhen Li, lichangzhen@zgwhfe.com

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