Objective To report two cases of meningitis caused by Corynebacterium and review relevant literature to enhance clinical awareness of the pathogenicity of Corynebacterium species.Methods The clinical details were reported for 2 cases of meningitis caused by Corynebacterium.Similar case reports were retrieved from PubMed,CNKI,Wanfang,VIP,and CBM databases using search terms"Corynebacterium meningitis"and"cerebrospinal fluid shunt infection".Clinical data of the identified patients were reviewed and analyzed.Results Both patients with meningitis caused by Corynebacterium developed symptoms of fever,abdominal pain,and unconsciousness following lumboperitoneal shunt procedures.The culture of cerebrospinal fluid was positive for Corynebacterium.Both patients improved significantly after vancomycin treatment.Literature search yielded 29 similar cases.Overall,the 31 cases(including the two cases in this report)included 20 males and 11 females,aged between 4 weeks to 87 years.The identified Corynebacterium species included C.jeikeium in 12 cases,C.striatum in 9 cases,C.xerosis in 2 cases,C.bovis in 2 cases,C.aquaticum,C.equine,and C.minutissimum one case each,and unspecified Corynebacterium species in 3 cases.Underlying diseases were reporetd in most patients,including immune disorder in 2 cases,malignant tumor in 8 cases,genetic disease in 2 cases,premature with hydrocephalus in 4 cases,brain trauma in 2 cases,intracranial vascular malformation in 2 cases,and cerebral aneurysm in 2 cases.Risk factors for Corynebacterium meningitis included chemotherapy for malignancy in 5 cases,long term use of steroids and immunosuppressants in 2 cases,invasive procedures in 24 cases,and prior antibiotic use in 11 cases.Vancomycin was the most commonly prescribed treatment.The drainage tube and/or venous catheter were also removed or replaced in 19 cases.Twenty-five patients recovered after treatment and 6 patients died.Conclusions Corynebacterium species are emerging as opportunistic pathogens.Clinicians should be aware of the infections caused by Corynebacterium if patients have undergone invasive procedures or are immunocompromised,especially when associated with fever,altered consciousness,and clinical signs of encephalitis/meningitis.If cerebrospinal fluid test is positive for Corynebacterium,specific treatment should be prescribed promptly for Corynebacterium infection.
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