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Recurrent spontaneous Escherichia coli meningitis in an adult: a case report

Abstract:

Objectives

The aim of this study was to characterize an unusual case of spontaneous, community-acquired Escherichia coli meningitis in an adult presenting to a general hospital in Kenya, where initial clinical recovery was followed by reinfection with an MDR, hospital-acquired strain.

Patient and methods

An adult presented to a hospital in Kenya with meningitis symptoms. E. coli was cultured from CSF. Treatment with ceftriaxone was successful; however, the patient relapsed a few days later. E. coli was cultured from CSF and blood during the reinfection episode, though the patient died during admission. We sequenced the isolates using Illumina MiSeq and performed antimicrobial susceptibility testing, fitness and virulence assays on the bacteria.

Results

The E. coli isolates from the two episodes were found to be distinct: the initial strain was ST88, serotype O8 H17 while the subsequent episode was caused by an ST167, serotype O101 H5 MDR strain. The ST88 strain was susceptible to all drugs except ampicillin and amoxicillin/clavulanate while the ST167 strain was MDR, including to all β-lactam drugs due to the presence of the carbapenemase gene blaNDM-5. The hospital-acquired ST167 strain was also resistant to newer drugs such as cefiderocol and eravacycline, which are currently not available locally, and had overall lower fitness and virulence in vitro compared with the initial infecting strain.

Conclusions

Though less fit and virulent in vitro, the MDR strain was fatal, suggesting that host factors, rather than bacterial virulence, may have been of greater importance in this patient’s outcome.
Publication status:
Published
Peer review status:
Peer reviewed

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Publisher copy:
10.1093/jacamr/dlad029

Authors

More by this author
Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0002-4586-1985
More by this author
Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
MSD
Department:
NDM
Sub department:
Tropical Medicine
Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0003-1267-6422


Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Journal:
JAC-Antimicrobial Resistance More from this journal
Volume:
5
Issue:
2
Article number:
dlad029
Publication date:
2023-03-28
Acceptance date:
2023-03-05
DOI:
EISSN:
2632-1823


Language:
English
Keywords:
Pubs id:
1337433
Local pid:
pubs:1337433
Deposit date:
2023-05-23
ARK identifier:

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