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Kingella Kingae Sequence Type 25 Meningitis in an Immunocompetent Toddler: Clinical and Molecular Approach

George A Syrogiannopoulos1, Philippe Bidet2,3, Aspasia N Michoula1

  • 1From the Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece.

The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal
|November 1, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Kingella kingae commonly causes bone infections in young children. This report details a rare case of Kingella kingae meningitis without other typical symptoms, highlighting unique genetic factors in this specific strain.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric infectious diseases
  • Microbiology
  • Genomics

Background:

  • Kingella kingae is a significant pathogen in young children, frequently causing osteoarticular infections, bacteremia, and endocarditis.
  • While known for bone and joint infections, K. kingae can cause other invasive diseases, though rarely.
  • Meningitis caused by K. kingae is uncommon, particularly in immunocompetent children without concurrent infections like endocarditis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To report a rare case of Kingella kingae meningitis in a young child.
  • To investigate the genomic characteristics of the K. kingae strain involved in the meningitis case.
  • To explore potential genomic determinants contributing to the pathogenesis of K. kingae meningitis.

Main Methods:

  • Clinical case presentation of a 26-month-old boy with meningitis.
  • Diagnostic workup including blood and cerebrospinal fluid cultures.
  • Whole-genome sequencing of the isolated Kingella kingae strain.

Main Results:

  • A rare case of Kingella kingae meningitis was diagnosed in an otherwise healthy 26-month-old boy.
  • The patient did not present with endocarditis or signs of immune deficiency.
  • Genomic analysis revealed distinct features of the K. kingae strain, potentially relevant to its invasive potential.

Conclusions:

  • Kingella kingae can cause meningitis even in the absence of endocarditis or immune compromise.
  • The specific genomic makeup of K. kingae strains may influence their ability to cause invasive disease like meningitis.
  • Further research into the genomic determinants of K. kingae is warranted to understand its pathogenesis.
Keywords:
childrenimmunocompetent toddlermeningitis

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