Fatal Klebsiella pneumoniae meningitis and concomitant disseminated intravascular coagulation in a patient with diabetes mellitus

A Rare Case of Third Generation Cephalosporin-Resistant Klebsiella Meningitis

Acute bacterial meningitis is one of the very common and severe forms of central nervous system (CNS) infection worldwide in almost all age groups. It remains a common cause of mortality, especially in underdeveloped countries, if not treated timely. Detecting an organism from the CSF culture is crucial in the management of acute bacterial meningitis. Selection of antibiotics according to the culture are a very important part of the management. Most commonly involved organisms include Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitides, and Listeria monocytogenes, while other organisms are very uncommon. Here, we report a rare case of Klebsiella pneumoniae meningitis in a young female, which was found resistant to multiple antibiotics including third generation of cephalosporin.

The cathelicidin-derived close-to-nature peptide D-11 sensitises Klebsiella pneumoniae to a range of antibiotics in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo

The outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria constitutes a permeability barrier that prevents certain antibiotics reaching their target, thus conferring a high tolerance to a wide range of antibiotics. Combined therapies of antibiotics and outer membrane-perturbing drugs have been proposed as an alternative treatment to extend the use of antibiotics active against Gram-positive bacteria to Gram-negative bacteria. Among the outer membrane-active compounds, the outer membrane-permeabilising peptides play a prominent role. They form a group of small cationic and amphipathic molecules with the ability to insert specifically into bacterial membranes, inducing their permeabilisation and/or disruption. Here we assessed the combined effect of several compounds belonging to the main antibiotic families and the cathelicidin close-to-nature outer membrane peptide D-11 against four clinically relevant Gram-negative bacteria. The results showed that peptide D-11 displays strong synergistic activity with several antibiotics belonging to different families, in particular against Klebsiella pneumoniae, even better than some other outer membrane-active peptides that are currently in clinical trials, such as SPR741. Notably, we observed this activity in vitro, ex vivo in a newly designed bacteraemia model, and in vivo in a mouse abscess infection model. Overall, our results suggest that D-11 is a good candidate to repurpose the activity of traditional antibiotics against K. pneumoniae.

Community acquired Klebsiella pneumoniae meningitis: a case report

Introduction

Klebsiella pneumoniae meningitis is most commonly seen as a nosocomial infection and in post-neurosurgical patients. Reports of community acquired Klebsiella pneumoniae meningitis cases are rare in the United States. The objective of this case report is to discuss an uncommon pathogen causing meningitis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, its risk and prognostic factors and to emphasize the importance of early recognition and appropriate antibiotic treatment.

Case report

We report a clinical case of adult community acquired Klebsiella pneumoniae meningitis with recovery. A 54-year-old diabetic male presented with two-week history of intermittent fevers, acute bilateral ear pain, headache and unsteady gait. Broad spectrum antibiotics were initiated. Klebsiella pneumoniae was isolated in the cerebrospinal fluid cultures. The patient recovered with only mild hearing loss in his left ear.

Conclusion

Our case highlights the importance of suspecting Klebsiella pneumoniae in community acquired meningitis.