J Pediatr Infect Dis 2007; 02(01): 045-050
DOI: 10.1055/s-0035-1557014
Case Report
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart – New York

Molecular evidence suggestive of intrauterine transmission of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A from mother to infant

Sugandha Arya
a   Department of Pediatrics, Safdarjung Hospital and Vardhman Mahavir Medical College, New Delhi, India
,
Deepthi Nair
b   Department of Microbiology, Safdarjung Hospital and Vardhman Mahavir Medical College, New Delhi, India
,
Harish Chellani
a   Department of Pediatrics, Safdarjung Hospital and Vardhman Mahavir Medical College, New Delhi, India
,
Monorama Deb
b   Department of Microbiology, Safdarjung Hospital and Vardhman Mahavir Medical College, New Delhi, India
,
Azra S. Hasan
b   Department of Microbiology, Safdarjung Hospital and Vardhman Mahavir Medical College, New Delhi, India
,
Gaurav Jawa
a   Department of Pediatrics, Safdarjung Hospital and Vardhman Mahavir Medical College, New Delhi, India
,
Marie Dehem
c   Genoscreen, Lille, France
,
Pablo J. Bifani
d   Department of Molecular Microbiology, Pasteur Institute, Brussels, Belgium
› Author Affiliations

Subject Editor:
Further Information

Publication History

22 September 2006

09 November 2006

Publication Date:
28 July 2015 (online)

Abstract

This case report describes an early presentation (<6 hours) of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A in a neonate born to a mother who was a carrier of the bacterium (nasopharynx, intracervical and whole blood). The neonate succumbed to the infection. N. meningitidis was recovered from cerebrospinal fluid. The isolates of the mother and infant were proven identical by multilocus variable-number tandem repeat analysis. The early presentation and presence of circulating DNA of the organism suggested an intrauterine transfer of the disease.