Pig's ear: Streptococcus suis Meningitis and its associated inner ear implications.
Author(s)
Sena Esteves, S
Carvalho de Almeida, J
Abrunhosa, J
Almeida E Sousa, C
Arshad, Q
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Streptococcus suis (S. suis) is a zoonotic pathogen commonly found in Asian countries. Infection with this bacterium typically clinically presents as meningitis and individuals whom handle swine are at increased risk of developing infections. We present a case of a patient with a S. suis meningitis who worked as a butcher. The 48-year-old man was admitted to our department with headaches, fevers, nausea and bilateral hearing loss. According to his medical history, the patient had sustained a cut on his finger while preparing pork meat. A microbiological examination of the cerebrospinal fluid and blood revealed S. suis. The patient was empirically treated with ceftriaxone, vancomycin and dexamethasone. The patient made a complete recovery from the meningitic process and inflammatory markers. However, the hearing and vestibular loss persisted with considerable functional impact upon his daily life. He was elected for a right cochlear implant, 7 weeks after the presentation with a poor outcome. It is important to remember that inner-ear dysfunction can occur frequently in S. suis meningitis surviving patients. Physicians should have a high index of suspicion if risk factors are present and initiate urgent treatment to prevent serious long-term consequences.
Date Issued
2017-08-30
Date Acceptance
2017-08-26
Citation
IDCases, 2017, 10, pp.55-57
ISSN
2214-2509
Publisher
Elsevier
Start Page
55
End Page
57
Journal / Book Title
IDCases
Volume
10
Copyright Statement
© 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/BY-NC-ND/4.0/)
Identifier
PII: S2214-2509(17)30153-1
Subjects
Streptococcus suis
Vestibular areflexia
Zoonosis
Publication Status
Published online