Elizabethkingia anophelis: An important emerging cause of neonatal sepsis and meningitis in China

Abstract

Elizabethkingia anophelis, originally isolated from the midgut of Anopheles gambiae in 2011, is an important cause of sepsis in adults and children and meningitis in newborns, with several reported outbreaks worldwide. Accumulating molecular biological and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) evidence suggests that E. anophelis is the major human pathogen belonging to the genus Elizabethkingia. The source of infection, routes of transmission and pathogenicity of E. anophelis are unclear and should be better understood as the bacterium is capable of causing sepsis and meningitis in newborns, with complications and high mortality rates. Here, we describe two healthy neonates who developed meningitis caused by Elizabethkingia infection. Initial conventional laboratory results revealed that the pathogen was E. meningoseptica; metagenomic findings later confirmed it as E. anophelis. We also summarize reported E. anophelis infections among newborns in China and elsewhere and describe the clinical, pathogenic and genetic characteristics of this bacillus.