title: Penicillin-resistant Neisseria meningitidis bacteraemia, Kimberley region, March 2010.
abstract: A 4-year-old fully immunised male presented to a regional hospital in the West Kimberley with fever and lethargy. Blood cultures yielded serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis, resistant to benzylpenicillin (minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) 1.0 mg/L). The patient was treated with intravenous ceftriaxone and made a complete recovery. Although invasive N. meningitidis isolates with reduced penicillin susceptibility are not uncommon in Australia, this is the first report of a benzylpenicillin-resistant isolate (MIC > 0.5 mg/L) causing invasive disease. As benzylpenicillin is currently recommended as first line empiric and definitive therapy for invasive meningococcal disease, the emergence of penicillin-resistant N. meningitidis disease is of concern and emphasises the importance of ongoing surveillance for antimicrobial resistance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, PathWest Laboratory Medicine, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, Nedlands, Western Australia. shivanti.abeysuriya@health.wa.gov.au
authors.forename: Shivanti D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Abeysuriya
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Speers
authors.forename: Jackie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gardiner
authors.forename: Ronan J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Murray
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000382:microbiology*; D002443:Ceftriaxone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008589:Meningococcal Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D010403:Penicillin Resistance; D014904:Western Australia
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D002443:Ceftriaxone