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Hospital-acquired meningococcaemia
332
Letters
to the Editor
9. Wilcox MH, Smith DGE, Evans JA, Denyer SP, Finch RG, Williams P. Influence of carbon dioxide on growth and antibiotic susceptibility of coagulase-negative staphylococci cultured in human peritoneal dialysate. J Clin Microbial 1990; 28: 2183-2186. 10. Kristinsson KG, Spencer RC, Brown CB. Clinical importance of production of a slime by coagulase-negative staphylococci in chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. r Clin Path 1986; 39: 117-118. 11. Needham CA, Stempsey W. Incidence, adherence and antibiotic resistance of coagulase-negative Staphylococus species causing human disease. Diagn Microbial Infect Dis 1984; 2: 293-299. 12. Peters G, Locci R, Pulverer G. Adherence and growth of coagulase-negative staphylococci on surfaces of intravenous catheters. J Infect Dis 1982; 146: 479-482.
Sir,
Hospital-acquired
meningococcaemia
In October 1990 a mother developed meningococcaemia 4 days after nursing her child with meningococcaemia and meningitis. The index patient was a 3&year-old girl who was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of a children’s hospital. During her stay in the hospital she had high grade fever, vomited several times, and had a petechial rash. Blood and CSF culture grew group A Neisseria meningitidis. A Gram smear from the petechial rash had shown Gram-negative diplococci. The isolate was resistant to sulphonamides. Four days after the index patient was admitted to the hospital the 27-year-old mother of the child developed headache, fever and malaise. She had been nursing her child very closely during this time. Two days after onset of her symptoms she presented for examination, and was noted to have scattered petechial lesions on her arms and legs. A lumbar puncture showed normal CSF. Over the next several days she developed a more severe headache, more petechiae and was admitted to the hospital with a presumptive diagnosis of meningococcaemia..A second blood culture grew group A N. meningitidis that was not susceptible to sulphonamides. The patient recalled that her child was restless and that she had nursed the child for some days; and had received sulphadiazine as prophylaxis. There was no known contact with other persons with meningococcal disease. We report this case as an acquired infection with N. meningitidis from a patient with meningococcaemia and meningitis. To our knowledge, this is the first report of its kind from India.
V. L. Malhotra
Department of Microbiology, Lady Harding Medical College, New Delhi 110001, India
Letters
to the Editor
9. Wilcox MH, Smith DGE, Evans JA, Denyer SP, Finch RG, Williams P. Influence of carbon dioxide on growth and antibiotic susceptibility of coagulase-negative staphylococci cultured in human peritoneal dialysate. J Clin Microbial 1990; 28: 2183-2186. 10. Kristinsson KG, Spencer RC, Brown CB. Clinical importance of production of a slime by coagulase-negative staphylococci in chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. r Clin Path 1986; 39: 117-118. 11. Needham CA, Stempsey W. Incidence, adherence and antibiotic resistance of coagulase-negative Staphylococus species causing human disease. Diagn Microbial Infect Dis 1984; 2: 293-299. 12. Peters G, Locci R, Pulverer G. Adherence and growth of coagulase-negative staphylococci on surfaces of intravenous catheters. J Infect Dis 1982; 146: 479-482.
Sir,
Hospital-acquired
meningococcaemia
In October 1990 a mother developed meningococcaemia 4 days after nursing her child with meningococcaemia and meningitis. The index patient was a 3&year-old girl who was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of a children’s hospital. During her stay in the hospital she had high grade fever, vomited several times, and had a petechial rash. Blood and CSF culture grew group A Neisseria meningitidis. A Gram smear from the petechial rash had shown Gram-negative diplococci. The isolate was resistant to sulphonamides. Four days after the index patient was admitted to the hospital the 27-year-old mother of the child developed headache, fever and malaise. She had been nursing her child very closely during this time. Two days after onset of her symptoms she presented for examination, and was noted to have scattered petechial lesions on her arms and legs. A lumbar puncture showed normal CSF. Over the next several days she developed a more severe headache, more petechiae and was admitted to the hospital with a presumptive diagnosis of meningococcaemia..A second blood culture grew group A N. meningitidis that was not susceptible to sulphonamides. The patient recalled that her child was restless and that she had nursed the child for some days; and had received sulphadiazine as prophylaxis. There was no known contact with other persons with meningococcal disease. We report this case as an acquired infection with N. meningitidis from a patient with meningococcaemia and meningitis. To our knowledge, this is the first report of its kind from India.
V. L. Malhotra
Department of Microbiology, Lady Harding Medical College, New Delhi 110001, India