Neisseria sicca meningitis following intracranial hemorrhage and ventriculostomy tube placement

A normal component of the flora of the oropharynx, Neisseria sicca was first isolated in 1906 and has since been reported as a rare cause of various human infections including endocarditis, pneumonia, sinusitis, sepsis, and urethritis. We report the case of a 44-year-old African-American female with a history of hypertension who presented with complaints of right frontal headache, nausea, photophobia, and vomiting. A computed tomography scan of the patient's brain showed a large subarachnoid hemorrhage, and an arteriogram confirmed a large posterior communicating artery aneurysm. A ventriculostomy tube was placed, and the patient subsequently developed an elevated temperature and elevated white blood cell count. Cerebrospinal fluid studies showed elevated protein and glucose levels and cultures positive for N. sicca. This is only the seventh reported case of culture-proven meningitis related to N. sicca, and the first reported case associated with intracranial hemorrhage and ventriculostomy tube placement. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.