Elizabethkingia Meningoseptica: An Emerging Pathogen in Pediatric Patients.

Abstract

E. meningoseptica is widely distributed in fresh and salt waters, in the soil, and in some animals but is not considered a normal human microflora. It is a gram negative non-fermentative bacillus which is found in the hospital environment and associated with nosocomial infections. It causes various disease like endocarditis, peritonitis, bacteremia, pneumonia, pediatric meningitis. It is mostly associated with infections in the immunocompromised patients. Recognition of E. meningoseptica is of paramount importance for clinicians since multi-drug resistance is common for this organism and secondly it is resistant to antibiotics which are normally used in the treatment of gram negative infections and is sensitive to vancomyin. So knowledge about this organism and its sensitivity will help clinicans to start the antibiotic of choice promptly. We here reported 2 cases of Elizabethkingia meningoseptica in blood and pleural fluid from immunocompromised pediatric patients. JMS 2014;17(2):61-63