Meningitis caused by Alcaligenes xylosoxidans in a patient with HIV/AIDS

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the present work was to inform about the first case of meningitis associated to the bacteria Alcaligenes xylosoxidans in a patient with HIV/AIDS. The patient was a 46-year-old male, with the antecedent of have been diagnosed for HIV/ AIDS, who attended in the Hospital Universitario de Colima, Mexico, with fever, shock and meningismus. The study of the cerebrospinal fluid showed pleocytosis, elevated protein levels and hypoglycorrhachia. The culture yielded the presence of Alcaligenes xylosoxidans with sensitivity to ciprofloxacin. After 14 days of treatment with this antibiotic, the patient showed neurologic improvement and was able to continue with his outpatient antiretroviral treatment. The present case shows the importance of the inclusion of this bacterium in the differential diagnosis of the neurological infections in HIV/AIDS patients and emphasizes the importance of considering the bacterial meningitis in this population.