Bacterial Meningitis Caused by β-lactamase Non-producing Ampicillin-resistant <i>Haemophilus influenzae</i> Type f in an Immunocompetent Woman

Abstract

We report the case of a 36-year-old previously healthy woman who presented with fever and headache. Blood and cerebrospinal cultures and a bacterial analysis revealed the presence of β-lactamase non-producing ampicillin-resistant Haemophilus influenzae type f (Hif) with sequence type 124. Accordingly, the patient was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis with bacteremia caused by Hif. She had normal humoral immunity, and antibiotic therapy rapidly improved her condition. Our case indicates that serotype replacement can occur in Japan and suggests that a certain sequence type causes invasive Haemophilus influenzae disease, regardless of host immunity.

β‐lactamase nonproducing ampicillin‐resistant Haemophilus influenzae type f meningitis in an infant

“…However, in Japanese surveillance and case reports, the majority of invasive Hif strains have been susceptible to ampicillin; therefore, drug resistance has not been an issue 3 . However, in 2019, a series of outbreaks of meningitis in immunocompromised adults and bacteremia in children due to BLNAR Hif were reported 4,5 . Since the present case occurred in 2020, BLNAR may spread among invasive Hif infections as well as Hib.…”

“…3 However, in 2019, a series of outbreaks of meningitis in immunocompromised adults and bacteremia in children due to BLNAR Hif were reported. 4,5 Since the present case occurred in 2020, BLNAR may spread among…”

Supraglottitis secondary to Haemophilus influenzae serotype f infection: Case report and review of literature

“…Interestingly, Hif appears to show preference for the adult population, especially those with underlying/predisposing conditions, such as tobacco use, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), alcohol abuse, diabetes mellitus, malignancy, and others [10] . Hif also has the ability to cause invasive disease in healthy adults with case reports of meningitis, septic arthritis, osteoarthritis and osteomyelitis, cellulitis, pneumonia with bacteremia or pleurisy, and supraglottitis/epiglottitis (supplementary Table 1) [27,[37][38][39][40][41][42] .…”

<i>Haemophilus influenzae</i> Non-type b Infection in an Adult Patient with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

“…Previous reports indicated that comorbid diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, malignancy, and immunosuppression, are risk factors for invasive infections caused by H. influenzae (3). To compare this case with the trend in recent invasive Hif infections, the authors surveyed case reports on PubMed using the search terms "H. influenzae type f" and "adult" and used the results to build a summary table (Table 4) of case report of invasive Hif infections since 2013, when routine immunization against Hib started in Japan (18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24). In these cases, the median age was 63 years old, with some differences in sex.…”