Klebsiella ozaenae meningitis: report of two cases and review of the literature

First Report of Klebsiella pneumoniae subsp. ozaenae Meningitis in Japan

Although the frequency of community-acquired infections caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae subsp. ozaenae (K. ozaenae) is low, they are often detected in sputum specimens. In addition, lung abscesses, necrotizing pneumonia, and urinary tract infections caused by K. ozaenae have also been reported. We herein report the first detection of K. ozaenae as an etiological agent of bacterial meningitis in Japan. Cases of K. ozaenae meningitis complicated by diabetes mellitus and sinusitis have been reported elsewhere. When Klebsiella pneumoniae is detected in such cases, it is important to use other detection methods in addition to mass spectrometry for correct identification.

Multi-Organ Abscesses and 5th Cervical Vertebra Bone Destruction Related with Klebsiella ozaenae Infection: A Case Report

Klebsiella ozaenae (K. ozaenae) is a causative pathogen of some rare diseases such as primary atrophic rhinitis and ozena. Here, we describe one case of a potentially lethal kind of K. ozaenae infection in which multiple organs were implicated. A 40-year-old diabetic male patient presented to our hospital due to fever with right anterior chest mass and neck and shoulder pain for half a month. Based on all examination results, he was diagnosed with sepsis, bilateral pulmonary/right chest wall/liver abscesses and 5th cervical vertebra bone destruction with prevertebral abscesses, all related with K. ozaenae infection. During the first time of admission, he was treated with antimicrobials without operations. Twelve days after his first discharge, fever and pain occurred again, the patient was treated with antimicrobials, operations (anterior debridement, spinal canal decompression, iliac bone graft fusion and internal fixation) and rehabilitation at second admission. The patient recovered well and was discharged from hospital. This case report demonstrates that K. ozaenae can trigger a wide range invasive infections. Particularly, 5th cervical vertebra bone destruction was first reported as a clinical manifestation of K. ozaenae infection in our patient.

Klebsiella ozaenae Bacteremia in a Kidney Transplant Recipient

Infections remain a dreadful complication after solid organ transplantation. Almost all microorganisms could cause this complication, including unusual ones. We report a 73-year-old patient, with a history of kidney transplant for 38 years on minimum immunosuppression, who presented with high-grade fever and gastrointestinal symptoms. Klebsiella ozaenae was isolated from blood cultures. She had a prompt response to antibiotics and recovered completely in a short period. Subsequent evaluation of her nasal cavity and sinuses did not show any abnormalities. Klebsiella ozaenae is primarily a colonizer of the oral and nasopharyngeal mucosa, which does not usually cause severe infections. Only 12 cases of Klebsiella ozaenae bacteremia have been reported, none of them in the context of solid organ transplant recipient.

Klebsiella ozaenae cholecystitis

The authors report a case of Klebsiella ozaenae septicemia, cholecystitis and urinary tract infection in a 65-year-old morbidly obese woman with diabetes. Klebsiella ozaenae is considered a nonpathogen or colonizer rarely causing septicemia. This is the first reported case of cholecystitis due to this agent.

Epidemiology, diagnosis, and antimicrobial treatment of acute bacterial meningitis

The epidemiology of bacterial meningitis has changed as a result of the widespread use of conjugate vaccines and preventive antimicrobial treatment of pregnant women. Given the significant morbidity and mortality associated with bacterial meningitis, accurate information is necessary regarding the important etiological agents and populations at risk to ascertain public health measures and ensure appropriate management. In this review, we describe the changing epidemiology of bacterial meningitis in the United States and throughout the world by reviewing the global changes in etiological agents followed by specific microorganism data on the impact of the development and widespread use of conjugate vaccines. We provide recommendations for empirical antimicrobial and adjunctive treatments for clinical subgroups and review available laboratory methods in making the etiological diagnosis of bacterial meningitis. Finally, we summarize risk factors, clinical features, and microbiological diagnostics for the specific bacteria causing this disease.

Moellerella wisconsensis: identification, natural antibiotic susceptibility and its dependency on the medium applied

The present study establishes a data compilation on biochemical features and natural antibiotic susceptibilities of Moellerella wisconsensis strains. 17 moellerellae isolated from humans (n = 11), food (n = 5) and water (n = 1) were tested. Identification was carried out using two commercially available systems and conventional tests. MIC determinations of 74 antibiotics were performed applying a microdilution procedure in Cation-adjusted Mueller Hinton broth and IsoSensitest broth. M. wisconsensis was naturally sensitive to doxycycline, minocycline, all tested aminoglycosides, numerous beta-lactams, all fluoroquinolones, folate-pathway inhibitors, chloramphenicol and nitrofurantoin. Natural resistance was found with oxacillin, penicillin G, all tested macrolides, lincomycin, streptogramins, ketolides, glycopeptides, fusidic acid, linezolid and rifampicin. Medium-dependent differences in susceptibility affecting clinical assessment criteria were seen with tetracycline, clindamycin and fosfomycin. From the data of the present study it is possible that some moellerellae are misidentified as Klebsiella pneumoniae subsp. ozaenae.

Klebsiella meningitis in adults: clinical features, prognostic factors and therapeutic outcomes

Sixty adult Klebsiella meningitis patients have been identified at Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in a period of 13 years. Most cases were associated with debilitating diseases, and devastating metastatic septic abscesses are common in diabetic patients with K. pneumoniae meningitis. Although the mortality rate has been significantly reduced in recent years, there has been an increase in nosocomial infections and the emergence of multi-antibiotic resistant strains. Significant prognostic factors include appropriate antibiotic therapy, the presence of septic shock, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and high cerebrospinal fluid protein levels and white blood cell counts. Initial empiric therapy with a third generation cephalosporin should be considered for community-acquired meningitis while antibiotics such as carbapenems should be considered as initial empiric therapy for patients with postneurosurgical meningitis. Early diagnosis and the use of appropriate antibiotics are of crucial importance.

Klebsiella oxytoca meningitis: frequent association with neurosurgical procedures

Klebsiella oxytoca meningitis is a rare condition. Nine patients were diagnosed between 1981 and 1993 at our institution. These accounted for 2.3% of 393 patients with blood and/or cerebrospinal fluid culture-proven bacterial meningitis. K. oxytoca was noted in both community-acquired meningitis and nosocomial meningitis. Eight of the nine cases were patients who had undergone neurosurgical procedures. Four were mixed bacterial meningitis. All K. oxytoca isolates were susceptible to third-generation cephalosporins and all but one to chloramphenicol. Antibiotic therapy was successful in eight patients but failed in one.