Acute Meningitis Due to a Pseudomonas-like Group Va-1 Bacillus

Excerpt

The "nonfermenters," a heterogeneous group of Gram-negative bacilli and coccobacilli, differ from the Enterobacteriaceae in not fermenting carbohydrates although some produce acids oxidatively. Many, though ubiquitous, are not conveniently identified by the diagnostic laboratory. Included are the genera Pseudomonas, Eikenella, Moraxella, Acinetobacter (including organisms previously named Mima, Herellea, and Bacterium anitratum), Alcaligenes, Achromobacter, and Flavobacterium. The unnamed nonfermenters have been placed in groups according to their similarities (1). Improvements in their nomenclature and criteria for identification have led to greater clinical interest in their potential pathogenicity (2-4).

We report a case of acute meningitis and probable myocarditis caused by a