Marija Kusulja1, Marija Santini2,3, Karla Margetić3, Marija Guzvinec4, Silvija Šoprek4, Iva Butić4, Arjana Tambić Andrašević3,4. 1. University Hospital or Infectious Diseases "Dr Fran Mihaljevic", Zagreb, Croatia. 2. Department for Intesive Care and Neuroinfectology, University Hospital for Infectious Diseases "Dr Fran Mihaljevic", Zagreb, Croatia. 3. School of Medicine University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia. 4. Department for Clinical Microbiology, University Hospital for Infectious Diseases "Dr Fran Mihaljevic", Zagreb, Croatia.
Abstract
Objectives: Campylobacter jejuni is one of the most common causative agents of gastroenteritis; however C. jejuni meningitis is rarely described. Therefore, little is known about its epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic methods, treatment, and outcomes. Methods: In this paper, we report a case of an adult patient with C. jejuni meningitis. In addition, we reviewed 16 cases of C. jejuni published since 1980. Results: We described a 62-year-old immunocompromised patient with meningitis and gastroenteritis in whom C. jejuni was rapidly detected in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) using 16S rDNA, while blood culture yielded the same pathogen with 48 h delay. Following 21 day-long treatment with meropenem, our patient fully recovered. Literature review revealed that C. jejuni meningitis is mainly described in newborns and adults with central nervous system comorbidities and it is most frequently detected by bacterial cultures. Conclusion: There are no clear recommendations for antimicrobial treatment of C. jejuni meningitis, but meropenem seems to be a safe and effective choice. High hopes are placed in new, broad-range culture-independent molecular methods that enable rapid pathogen detection, even in case of negative cultures.
Objectives:Campylobacter jejuni is one of the most common causative agents of gastroenteritis; however C. jejuni meningitis is rarely described. Therefore, little is known about its epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic methods, treatment, and outcomes. Methods: In this paper, we report a case of an adult patient with C. jejuni meningitis. In addition, we reviewed 16 cases of C. jejuni published since 1980. Results: We described a 62-year-old immunocompromised patient with meningitis and gastroenteritis in whom C. jejuni was rapidly detected in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) using 16S rDNA, while blood culture yielded the same pathogen with 48 h delay. Following 21 day-long treatment with meropenem, our patient fully recovered. Literature review revealed that C. jejuni meningitis is mainly described in newborns and adults with central nervous system comorbidities and it is most frequently detected by bacterial cultures. Conclusion: There are no clear recommendations for antimicrobial treatment of C. jejuni meningitis, but meropenem seems to be a safe and effective choice. High hopes are placed in new, broad-range culture-independent molecular methods that enable rapid pathogen detection, even in case of negative cultures.