A Rare Cause of Meningitis : Pseudomonas stutzeri

Abstract

Pseudomonas stutzeri (P. stutzeri) is a gram-negative, aerobic and saprophytic microorganism which found in soil, water and hospital environments. Isolation of bacteria from clinical samples usually refers to colonization rather than infection. However, it rarely causes serious infections. This report presents a 33-year-old male immunocompetent patient who developed P. stutzeri meningitis after cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) fistula operation. Although our case was considered mainly a hospital-acquired infection, the fact that the patient was a recycling employee raises suspicion about the source of the infectious agent. In the literature, four cases of meningitis caused by this microorganism have been identified. When these cases were examined, it was seen that three of them had underlying diseases and the other one had no comorbid disease, but he was older than 65 years. Although our patient is young and has no underlying disease or immunosuppression, the development of meningitis with P. stutzeri, a rare infectious agent, is remarkable. In conclusion, it should be kept in mind that rare agents such as P. stutzeri may be the cause of hospital-acquired meningitis.