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Intracranial Subarachnoidal Route of Infection for Investigating Roles of Streptococcus suis Biofilms in Meningitis in a Mouse Infection Model
Published on: July 1, 2018
Streptococcus suis meningoencephalitis diagnosed with metagenomic next-generation sequencing: A case report with
Zai-Jie Jiang1, Jian-Chen Hong2, Qing-Xi Tang1
1Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology of First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Neuroscience, and Fujian Key Laboratory of Molecular Neurology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350005, China.
Abstract:
Streptococcus suis is a pathogen of emerging zoonotic diseases and meningoencephalitis is the most frequent clinical symptom of S. suis infection in humans. Rapid diagnosis of S. suis meningoencephalitis is critical for the treatment of the disease. While the current routine microbiological tests including bacterial culture and gram staining are poorly sensitive, diagnosis of S. suis meningoencephalitis by metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) has been rarely reported. Here, we report a 52-year-old female pork food producer with a broken finger developed S. suis meningoencephalitis. After her admission, no pathogenic bacteria were detected through bacterial culture and Gram staining microscopy in the cerebrospinal fluid obtained via lumbar puncture. However, mNGS identified the presence of S. suis in the sample. mNGS is a promising diagnostic tool for rapid diagnosis of rare infectious diseases in the central nervous system.
Insights
Rapid diagnosis of Streptococcus suis meningoencephalitis is crucial. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) successfully identified Streptococcus suis in a patient where traditional methods failed, highlighting mNGS as a valuable tool for rare central nervous system infections.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Microbiology
- Neurology
Background:
- Streptococcus suis is an emerging zoonotic pathogen causing meningoencephalitis in humans.
- Timely diagnosis of S. suis meningoencephalitis is essential for effective patient treatment.
- Conventional diagnostic methods like bacterial culture and Gram staining exhibit low sensitivity for S. suis.
Conclusions:
- Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) offers a sensitive and rapid diagnostic approach for S. suis meningoencephalitis.
- mNGS is a promising tool for the diagnosis of rare infectious diseases affecting the central nervous system.
- This case underscores the importance of advanced molecular techniques when conventional methods are insufficient.
