Neonatal Meningitis Caused by Actinomyces: A Case Report of the Most Probably New Strain

Abstract

Over the past three decades, the detection and identification of the Actinomyces spp. in clinical microbiology laboratories, in addition to their recognition as pathogens in clinical settings, have proven challenging. A case of a preterm neonate who was diagnosed with meningitis caused by the Actinomyces spp. during application of a ventricular puncture for the treatment of posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus was presented. PCR tests showed that the neonate's strain exhibited 98.26% 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) gene sequence similarity with the Actinomyces oris strain (ATCC 27044). The GenBank accession number for the nucleotide sequence is Actinomyces KX026867. This case report provides evidence that the Actinomyces spp. should be considered as a potential pathogen of neonatal meningitis, even if the strain is rarely isolated, phenotypically aberrant, and has often been poorly described.

Keywords

Actinomyces - neonate - infection - 16S rRNA gene sequence - case report

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