Unusual presentation of pyogenic meningitis in a diabetic

Abstract

A 53‐year old man with maturity‐onset diabetes mellitus presented with a gram negative septicaemia after a preceding period of 2–3 weeks malaise. There were no localising features to suggest the infective origin on physical examination or investigation and he was treated with intravenous ampicillin, gentamicin and cefuroxime. He died within 48 hours and a post‐mortem demonstrated an unsuspected pyogenic meningitis, shown after culture of cerebrospinal fluid to be due to Klebsiella pneumoniae.