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A longitudinal case series description of meningitis due to Streptococcus gallolyticus subsp. pasteurianus in infants

J Michael Klatte1, Jill E Clarridge, Denise Bratcher

  • 1Pediatric Infectious Diseases Section, Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, Kansas City, Missouri, USA. mklatte@cmh.edu

Journal of Clinical Microbiology
|November 15, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Streptococcus gallolyticus subsp. pasteurianus, a bacterium causing meningitis, was identified in four newborns. This marks the first longitudinal documentation of this pathogen in infants, highlighting its emerging role in neonatal infections.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Neonatal Medicine

Background:

  • Streptococcus gallolyticus subsp. pasteurianus (formerly Streptococcus bovis biotype II.2) is a known cause of adult infectious complications, including meningitis.
  • Reports of this pathogen causing meningitis in infants are sporadic and limited to individual case studies.

Observation:

  • This study provides the first longitudinal documentation of Streptococcus gallolyticus subsp. pasteurianus meningitis in four neonates.
  • These infants were epidemiologically unrelated and under two weeks of age.
  • Genetic analysis revealed identical 16S rRNA gene sequences among the four infant isolates and three previously reported central nervous system (CNS) strains from adults and a child.

Findings:

  • Streptococcus gallolyticus subsp. pasteurianus is an emerging cause of meningitis and bacteremia in newborns.
  • The genetic similarity across isolates suggests a common source or successful transmission routes.

Implications:

  • This pathogen warrants increased attention as a cause of neonatal meningitis.
  • Further research is needed to understand the etiology and transmission of Streptococcus gallolyticus subsp. pasteurianus infections in the newborn period.

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