title: Actinomyces meyeri meningitis: the need for anaerobic cerebrospinal fluid cultures.
abstract: We herein present a rare case of Actinomyces meyeri-induced meningitis that occurred in a patient of advanced age with poor oral hygiene. Although Gram staining of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) revealed Gram-positive rods and a blood culture was positive for the organism, a bacterial culture of the CSF was negative. Anaerobic cultures of CSF specimens are not routinely performed; however, anaerobes are sometimes involved in central nervous system infection. We therefore believe that anaerobic cultures should be considered in high-risk cases, such as those involving necrotizing bowel lesions or poor oral hygiene. A negative result on a CSF culture can result in misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Japan.
authors.forename: Hideharu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hagiya
authors.forename: Fumio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Otsuka
mesh_terms: D000190:Actinomyces / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001421:Bacteria, Anaerobic / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016920:Meningitis, Bacterial / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000175:diagnosis*