Skip to main content

Meningitis in a Chinese adult patient caused by Mycoplasma hominis: a rare infection and literature review

Abstract

Background

Mycoplasma hominis, a well known cause of neonatal infection, has been reported as a pathogen in urogenital infections in adults; however, central nervous system (CNS) infections are rare. We report here the first case of M. hominis meningitis in China, post neurosurgical treatment for an intracerebral haemorrhage in a 71-year-old male.

Case presentation

We describe a 71-year-old man who developed M. hominis meningitis after neurosurgical treatment and was successfully treated with combined azithromycin and minocycline therapy of 2 weeks duration, despite delayed treatment because the Gram stain of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) yielded no visible organisms. The diagnosis required 16S rDNA sequencing analysis of the cultured isolate from CSF. Literature review of M. hominis CNS infections yielded 19 cases (13 instances of brain abscess, 3 of meningitis, 1 spinal cord abscess and 1 subdural empyema each). Delay in diagnosis and initial treatment failure was evident in all cases. With appropriate microbiological testing, antibiotic therapy (ranging from 5 days to 12 weeks) and often, multiple surgical interventions, almost all the patients improved immediately.

Conclusions

Both our patient findings and the literature review, highlighted the pathogenic potential of M. hominis together with the challenges prompted by rare infectious diseases in particular for developing countries laboratories with limited diagnostic resources.

Peer Review reports

Background

Mycoplasma hominis, initially described as pleuropneumonia-like organism, is a commensal of the human oral cavity, respiratory tract, and genitourinary tract [13]. However, its role in the pathogenesis of infections in adult patients, especially extragenital infections such as central nervous system (CNS) infection, post-operative wound infections, mediastinitis, and septic arthritis [2, 47], has been difficult to determine. M. hominis, which does not possess a cell wall and hence is not identifiable by Gram staining of clinical specimens, is difficult to detect [3, 8, 9]. Culturing M. hominis which is fastidious in nature, is both resource- and time-consuming because specialized media and incubation conditions are required. Direct 16S rDNA PCR amplification/sequencing on clinical specimens may be performed but sensitivity is moderate at best, and not all laboratories perform this test [2, 3, 8]. The true incidence of M. hominis infections is thus probably underestimated and delayed diagnosis leads to delayed treatment with suboptimal outcomes [10].

CNS infections due to M. hominis are rare in patients other than neonates. To the best of our knowledge, only 19 cases of such infections have been reported in the English literature (Table 1). We herein report a case of M. hominis meningitis in which the organism was detected in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) following neurosurgical intervention for cerebral haemorrhage. This is the first reported case of meningitis in an adult caused by M. hominis from China.

Table 1 Literature reports of CNS infections caused by Mycoplasma hominis in non-neonatal patients (1950-2016.7)

Case presentation

History and first admission

The patient was a 71-year-old man with a history of hypertension for 2 years who suddenly developed aphasia, and right-sided weakness and numbness while lifting water and was sent to the local hospital immediately on 21 September 2014. A cerebral computed tomography (CT) scan identified a cerebral hemorrhage rupturing into the ventricular system. He underwent craniotomy and evacuation of the hematoma. One week after the surgery, the patient developed hospital-acquired pneumonia, which was complicated by respiratory failure despite treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics of imipenem.

MICU admission

The patient was soon transferred to the medical intensive care unit (MICU) of Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) on October 14. On admission, he was febrile, comatose (Glasgow Coma Score of 9), dyspneic, and hypotensive. Mechanical ventilation was started after endotracheal intubation.

Examination on MICU & anti-infectious therapy

Empiric antibiotic treatment consisting of meropenem (2.0 g intravenously q8h) and vancomycin (1.0 g intravenously q12h) was initiated for hospital-acquired pneumonia. A lumbar puncture showed an opening pressure > 33 cmH2O, 1201 x 106/L red cells, 201 x 106/L white cells (79 % polymorphonuclear forms), an undetectable glucose concentration, protein 2.32 g/L, and chloride 128 mmol/L. No organisms were seen on Gram stain of the CSF. A cerebral CT showed an extensive left temporal hematoma and moderate lateral ventricle enlargement (Fig. 1a).

Fig. 1
figure 1

Computed tomography (CT) scans of the patient’s brain and lung during hospitalization. a. Cerebral CT scan revealed an extensive left hematoma in the temporal region of the hemispheres and moderate lateral ventricle enlargement with a drainage tube in it. The hematoma was surrounded by brain edema, narrowed gyri and the right–shifted cranial midline. b. Thoracic CT scan (lung windows) revealed a cavity with a wall of 7-mm thick surrounded by patchy shadowing in the right lower lobe. c. After 30 days of therapy, resolving brain swelling was seen in the CT scan with decreased edema. d. After 30 days of therapy, thoracic CT scan (lung window) revealed that the area of cavitation had decreased substantially

During his stay in ICU, repeated cultures of tracheal aspirates grew multidrug resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii, which was only susceptible to cefoperazone/sulbactam, and intermediately susceptible to tigecycline and minocycline. A follow-up chest CT scan revealed a thick-walled cavity in the right lower lobe (Fig. 1b). As a result, meropenem was changed to cefoperazone/sulbactam (3.0 g q8h), while the dose of vancomycin was increased to 1.5 g q12h to optimize the serum trough level (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2
figure 2

The correlation between the change of body temperature and the use of antibiotics during hospitalization

Etiological examination

Microbiology laboratory examination

CSF specimens were plated onto 5 % sheep blood agar and chocolate agar and were incubated at 37 °C under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, and in air with 5 % CO2. On October 30, cultures revealed non-hemolytic, semi-translucent pinpoint colonies on sheep blood agar plate after 4 days of incubation under anaerobic conditions (Fig. 3). Gram-stain smears of the CSF sample showed no evidence of bacteria.

Fig. 3
figure 3

Non-hemolytic, semi-translucent pinpoint colonies of M. hominis were shown on 5 % blood sheep agar after 4 days of incubation

MALDI-TOF analysis of the cultured isolate

Two systems of the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) were used, i.e. the MALDI Biotyper (Bruker) and VITEK MS IVD (bioMérieux) as instructed by the manufacturer. The spectra were analyzed by using the MALDI Biotyper database library V.3.3.1.2 and the VITEK® MS IVD v2.0 database respectively. Both MALDI Biotyper and VITEK MS IVD consistently yielded no identifying profile and assigned “no identification” to this isolate.

16S rDNA gene identification

Bacterial DNA was obtained from isolates by using QIAamp DNA minikit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) following the manufacturer’s instructions starting from 200 μL of bacterial pellet suspension about 2-3 McFarland followed by a series of extracting steps with different reagents. Amplification of the 16S rDNA gene was performed by broad-range bacterial polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay using the universal primers: 27 F (5’-AGAGTTTGATCCTGGCTCAG-3’) and 1522R (5’-AAGGAGGTGATCCAGCCGCA-3’) as described before [11, 12]. Purified PCR products and sequencing primers (the same as for amplification) were mixed and sent to Ruibiotech (Beijing, China) for sequencing. Species identification was performed by comparing the obtained sequences against those in the GenBank database using the BLASTn software (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/blast). By querying 16S rDNA sequences against those in the GenBank database, the isolate best matched with 3 M. hominis reference strains (GenBank accession numbers: CP011538.1, NR_041881.1 and CP009652.1) with an identity of 100 % (1385/1385), followed by Mycoplasma equirhinis, with an identity of 97 % (1314/1353). All M. hominis 16S rDNA nucleotide sequences available in GenBank till 2015 (n = 10) are summarized in Additional file 1.

Post-treatment course

On November 2, the microbiology laboratory reported isolation from the CSF sample of M. hominis, which was susceptible to doxycycline, and intermediately suscepible to azithromycin by the bioMérieux® SA Mycoplasma IST2 kit (Biomerieux, France). Combination therapy with azithromycin (0.5 g qd) and minocycline (100 mg q12h) was then started (Fig. 2). On November 16, 14 days after appropriate antimicrobial therapy was started, the patient was transferred back to the local hospital. Repeated brain and chest CT scans before discharge showed marked improvement of the cerebral edema and size of the brain swelling (Fig. 1c), and almost complete resolution of the pulmonary cavity and pleural effusion (Fig. 1d).

Discussion

A PubMed search was performed using the following key words: “Mycoplasma hominis” AND “encephalitis” OR “cerebritis” OR “cephalitis” OR “neuraxitis” OR “phrenitis” OR “meningitis” OR “brain abscess” OR “cranial infection” OR "myelitis" OR " polyradiculoneuritis " OR "spinal cord infection". A total of 58 manuscripts were found, most reporting M. hominis infection in neonates, which most likely arising from contact with maternal genital flora [13]. By carefully reading all the papers, we found that there were only 19 reported non-neonatal-associated cases of CNS infection caused by M. hominis; none was reported from China (Table 1). Of these 20 cases, brain abscess was the most common CNS infections (n = 13) [3, 10, 1423], followed by meningitis (n = 4) [8, 2426], spinal cord abscess (n = 1) [2], subdural empyema (n = 1) [27], (Table 1).

Current microbiological analysis, mostly based on direct examination and culture of pus specimens, underestimate the role of fastidious microorganisms, such as M. hominis [22], in CNS infections. Predisposing host factors such as immunosuppression, malignancy, trauma, and manipulation or surgery of the genitourinary tract are considered to be risk factors for extra-genital infections caused by this microorganism [8, 15, 17, 18, 28]. In most M. hominis brain infections thus far described, patients usually presented with prior head trauma or had undergone neurosurgical procedures [8, 10, 14, 15, 17, 19, 21, 2327]. This was also the case in our patient who had an intracererbal haematoma evacuated 7 days prior to developing meningitis.

Three routes of intracranial infection are typically considered: direct contamination during trauma, direct contamination during surgery, or seeding of the cerebral site secondary to bacteraemia due to genitourinary manipulation [21, 23]. In traumatized brain tissue where CNS capillaries are damaged, M. hominis can easily reach the ischemic brain tissue through blood circulation. In our case, the patient was exposed to the aforementioned last 2 hypothetical sources. Cerebral hemorrhage was cured by a neurosurgical intervention, but he also underwent urinary catheterization after the coma during hospitalization. Therefore, we were unable to definitively identify the source of infection.

Identification of M. hominis infections by culture is challenging due to the slow growth of the colonies and the absence of cell wall, which contributes to a negative result on Gram staining [10], as in our patient. Moreover, even when culture is successful, it is difficult to rule out the possibility of contamination. Although M. hominis, being less fastidious than other mycoplasmas, is able to grow on conventional blood agar medium, specific laboratory methods are required for its identification. In most reports of cerebral infections, 16S rDNA sequencing is required for definitive identification as was the case here [8]. It has been recently highlighted that MALDI-TOF MS could be useful for the rapid identification of M. hominis [23, 29]. However, we were unable to identify M. hominis by MALDI TOF MS even though the spectra of this species is represented in the VITEK® MS IVD v2.0 database. In this regard, similar results were also found for the MALDI Biotyper by Nulens E and his colleges [30]. Thus, further improvement of M. hominis spectra database seems necessary. Nevertheless, neither the Bruker nor Vitek database misidentified the strain as another species.

Since cases of intracranial infections caused by M. hominis are rare, clinicians usually fail to consider the diagnosis in the absence of microbiological evidence. In addition, it is difficult to distinguish brain abscesses or meningitis caused by mycoplasmas from those caused by bacteria or viruses, due to the lack of specific clinical manifestations. This may lead to delayed initiation of antimicrobial therapy with serious clinical consequence [31], as M. hominis is not susceptible to most first-line antibiotics used to treat brain abscesses [21]. The possibility of a M. hominis infection should be suspected when Gram stain reveals abundant neutrophils but no bacteria, and empirical treatment shows poor efficacy during this period.

In all previously published case studies of M. hominis brain abscesses, treatment involved abscess drainage, debridement, and specific antimicrobial therapy. The importance of surgical treatment is evident from a case report of a patient who responded to surgical therapy alone [32]. Infections caused by Mycoplasma spp. (i.e. a microorganism lacking both cell wall and folic acid synthesis) require ad-hoc antibiotic treatment [33, 34]. There are no CLSI (Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute) and EUCAST (European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing) breakpoints for M. hominis at present. Nevertheless, the organism is generally considered to be susceptible to tetracyclines, lincosamides, streptogramins and quinolones, but not to the macrolides although tetracyclines-resistant M. hominis has been reported [10, 3537]. However, poor passage through the blood brain barrier could lead to low antibiotic concentrations in the brain, with the possible major exception of fourth generation quinolones that, besides exhibiting low MICs for M. hominis, do possess reasonable CSF penetration [3543]. Because of the tendency for chronic and often latent infection, long-term antimicrobial treatment against M. hominis is warranted. However, surgical drainage and debridement remain the key to recovery, since patients may respond to surgical treatment alone [29].

In our case, initial treatment with meropenem and vancomycin showed little efficiency since a low-grade fever still persisted (as shown in Fig. 2). MDR A. baumannii was also isolated from the lower respiratory tract possibly due to nosocomial infection. Persistent fever despite various antibiotic treatment with meropenem, vancomycin, and cefoperazone/sulbactam, as well as the satisfactory response to azithromycin and minocycline, strongly suggested that M. hominis, rather than A. baumannii was the primary pathogen in our patient.

Conclusions

The prevalence of brain infections caused by M. hominis may be increasing, presenting a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge to clinicians. We reported here the first case of meningitis caused by M. hominis in an adult in China, who was successfully treated with azithromycin and minocycline. The pathogenic potential of M. hominis, the need for early diagnosis, and the importance of initial appropriate chemotherapy must be highlighted also in developing countries, where the challenges in diagnostic capacity for clinical laboratories are greater.

Abbreviations

BBB:

Blood brain barrier

CLSI:

Clinical and laboratory standards institute

CNS:

Central nervous system

CSF:

Cerebrospinal fluid

CT:

Computed tomography

EUCAST:

European committee on antimicrobial susceptibility testing

MALDI-TOF MS:

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry

MDR:

Multidrug resistant

MICU:

Medical intensive care unit

PCR:

Polymerase chain reaction

PUMCH:

Peking union medical college hospital

References

  1. Dienes L, Edsall G. Observations on the L-organism of Klieneberger. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1937;36:740–4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Whitson WJ, Ball PA, Lollis SS, Balkman JD, Bauer DF. Post-operative Mycoplasma hominis infections after neurosurgical intervention. J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2014;14:212–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. McCarthy KL, Looke DF. Successful treatment of post-neurosurgical intracranial Mycoplasma hominis infection using gatifloxacin. J Infect. 2008;57:344–6.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Pastural M, Audard V, Bralet MP, Rémy P, Salomon L, Tankovic J, et al. Mycoplasma hominis infection in renal transplantation. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2002;17:495–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Mattila PS, Carlson P, Sivonen A, Savola J, Luosto R, Salo J, et al. Life-threatening Mycoplasma hominis mediastinitis. Clin Infect Dis. 1999;29:1529–37.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Flouzat-Lachaniette CH, Guidon J, Allain J, Poignard A. An uncommon case of Mycoplasma hominis infection after total disc replacement. Eur Spine J. 2013;22 Suppl 3:S394–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Taylor-Robinson D. Infections due to species of Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma: an update. Clin Infect Dis. 1996;23:671–82.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Lee EH, Winter HL, van Dijl JM, Metzemaekers JD, Arends JP. Diagnosis and antimicrobial therapy of Mycoplasma hominis meningitis in adults. Int J Med Microbiol. 2012;302:289–92.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Waites KB, Schelonka RL, Xiao L, Grigsby PL, Novy MJ. Congenital and opportunistic infections: Ureaplasma species and Mycoplasma hominis. Semin Fetal Neonatal Med. 2009;14:190–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Henao-Martinez AF, Young H, Nardi-Korver JJ, Burman W. Mycoplasma hominis brain abscess presenting after a head trauma: a case report. J Med Case Rep. 2012;6:253.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  11. Kupila L, Rantakokko-Jalava K, Jalava J, Nikkari S, Peltonen R, Meurman O, et al. Aetiological diagnosis of brain abscesses and spinal infections: application of broad range bacterial polymerase chain reaction analysis. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2003;74:728–33.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  12. Drancourt M, Berger P, Raoult D. Systematic 16S rRNA gene sequencing of atypical clinical isolates identified 27 new bacterial species associated with humans. J Clin Microbiol. 2004;42:2197–202.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  13. Hata A, Honda Y, Asada K, Sasaki Y, Kenri T, Hata D. Mycoplasma hominis meningitis in a neonate: case report and review. J Infect. 2008;57:338–43.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Paine TF, Murray R, Perlmutter I, Finland M. Brain abscess and meningitis associated with a pleuropneumonia-like organism: clinical and bacteriological observations in a case with recovery. Ann Intern Med. 1950;32:554–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Payan DG, Seigal N, Madoff S. Infection of a brain abscess of Mycoplasma hominis. J Clin Microbiol. 1981;14:571–3.

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  16. Madoff S, Hooper DC. Nongenitourinary infections caused by Mycoplasma hominis in adults. Rev Infect Dis. 1988;10:602–13.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Kersten RC, Haglund L, Kulwin DR, Ma'luf R, DeConciliis C. Mycoplasma hominis orbital abscess. Arch Ophthalmol. 1995;113:1096–7.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Zheng X, Olson DA, Tully JG, Watson HL, Cassell GH, Gustafson DR, et al. Isolation of Mycoplasma hominis from a brain abscess. J Clin Microbiol. 1997;35:992–4.

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  19. Douglas MW, Fisher DA, Lum GD, Roy J. Mycoplasma hominis infection of a subdural haematoma in the peripartum period. Pathology. 2003;35:452–4.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. House P, Dunn J, Carroll K, MacDonald J. Seeding of a cavernous angioma with Mycoplasma hominis: case report. Neurosurgery. 2003;53:749–52.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Kupila L, Rantakokko-Jalava K, Jalava J, Peltonen R, Marttila RJ, Kotilainen E, et al. Brain abscess caused by Mycoplasma hominis: a clinically recognizable entity? Eur J Neurol. 2006;13:550–1.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Al Masalma M, Drancourt M, Dufour H, Raoult D, Fournier PE. Mycoplasma hominis brain abscess following uterus curettage: a case report. J Med Case Rep. 2011;5:278.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  23. Pailhories H, Rabier V, Eveillard M, Mahaza C, Joly-Guillou ML, Chennebault JM, et al. A case report of Mycoplasma hominis brain abscess identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Int J Infect Dis. 2014;29:166–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. McMahon DK, Dummer JS, Pasculle AW, Cassell G. Extragenital Mycoplasma hominis infections in adults. Am J Med. 1990;89:275–81.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Cohen M, Kubak B. Mycoplasma hominis meningitis complicating head trauma: case report and review. Clin Infect Dis. 1997;24:272–3.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Reissier S, Masson R, Guérin F, Viquesnel G, Petitjean-Lecherbonnier J, Pereyre SInt J, et al. Fatal nosocomial meningitis caused by Mycoplasma hominis in an adult patient: case reportand review of the literature. Infect Dis. 2016;48:81–3.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Hos NJ, Bauer C, Liebig T, Plum G, Seifert H, Hampl J. Autoinfection as a cause of postpartum subdural empyema due to Mycoplasma hominis. Infection. 2015;43(2):241–4. doi:10.1007/s15010-014-0713-2. Epub 2014 Dec 10.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Simberkoff MS, Toharsky B. Mycoplasmemia in adult male patients. JAMA. 1976;236:2522–4.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Pereyre S, Tardy F, Renaudin H, Cauvin E, Del Prá Netto Machado L, Tricot A, et al. Identification and subtyping of clinically relevant human and ruminant mycoplasmas by use of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. J ClinMicrobiol. 2013;51:3314–23.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Nulens E, Van Praet J, Selleslag D, Van Landschoot T, Dekeyzer D, Descheemaecker P, et al. A disseminated Mycoplasma hominis infection in a patient with an underlying defect in humoral immunity. Infection. 2016;44(3):379–81.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Brouwer MC, Tunkel AR, McKhann GM, van de Beek D. Brain abscess. N Engl J Med. 2014;371:447–56.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Mossad SB, Rehm SJ, Tomford JW, Isada CM, Taylor PC, Rutherford I, et al. Sternotomy infection with Mycoplasma hominis: a cause of "culture negative" wound infection. J Cardiovasc Surg. 1996;37:505–9.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. McCormack WM. Susceptibility of mycoplasmas to antimicrobial agents: clinical implications. Clin Infect Dis. 1993;17 Suppl 1:S200–1.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Krausse R, Schubert S. In-vitro activities of tetracyclines, macrolides, fluoroquinolones and clindamycin against Mycoplasma hominis and Ureaplasma spp. isolated in Germany over 20 years. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2010;16:1649–55.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Kenny GE, Cartwright FD. Susceptibilities of Mycoplasma hominis, M. pneumoniae, and Ureaplasma urealyticum to GAR-936, dalfopristin, dirithromycin, evernimicin, gatifloxacin, linezolid, moxifloxacin, quinupristin-dalfopristin, and telithromycin compared to their susceptibilities to reference macrolides, tetracyclines, and quinolones. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2001;45:2604–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  36. Redelinghuys MJ, Ehlers MM, Dreyer AW, Lombaard HA, Kock MM. Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of Ureaplasma species and Mycoplasma hominis in pregnant women. BMC Infect Dis. 2014;14:171.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  37. Mardassi BB, Aissani N, Moalla I, Dhahri D, Dridi A, Mlik B. Evidence for the predominance of a single tet(M) gene sequence type in tetracycline-resistant Ureaplasma parvum and Mycoplasma hominis isolates from Tunisian patients. J Med Microbiol. 2012;61(Pt9):1254–61.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Cottagnoud P, Tauber MG. Fluoroquinolones in the treatment of meningitis. CurrInfect Dis Rep. 2003;5:329–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Lutsar I, Friedland IR, Wubbel L, McCoig CC, Jafri HS, Ng W, et al. Pharmacodynamics of gatifloxacin in cerebrospinal fluid in experimental cephalosporin-resistant pneumococcal meningitis. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1998;42:2650–5.

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  40. Scotton PG, Pea F, Giobbia M, Baraldo M, Vaglia A, Furlanut M. Cerebrospinal fluid penetration of levofloxacin in patients with spontaneous acute bacterial meningitis. Clin Infect Dis. 2001;33:e109–11.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Shimada J, Nogita T, Ishibashi Y. Clinical pharmacokinetics of sparfloxacin. Clin Pharmacokinet. 1993;25:358–69.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Lutsar I, McCracken Jr GH, Friedland IR. Antibiotic pharmacodynamics in cerebrospinal fluid. Clin Infect Dis. 1998;27:1117–27.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. Kanellakopoulou K, Pagoulatou A, Stroumpoulis K, Vafiadou M, Kranidioti H, Giamarellou H, et al. Pharmacokinetics of moxifloxacin in non-inflamed cerebrospinal fluid of humans: implication for a bactericidal effect. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2008;61:1328–31.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. Zhihong Guan from the Department of neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China where the patient is in care.

Availability of data and materials

The Near Complete length GenBank Mycoplasma hominis16S rRNA sequences supporting the conclusions of this article are included within the article (Additional file 1).

Authors’ contributions

MZ, PW, FK and YCX conceived and designed the experiments. MZ, PW, JD, MX and FW collected the information about the case, contributed to the acquisition, analysis and interpretation of data. MZ, SC, BD and FK wrote and revised the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Competing interests

The authors report no conflict of interest concerning the materials or methods used in this study or the findings specified in this paper.

Consent for publication

Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this Case report. A copy of the written consent is available for review by the Editor of this journal.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Peking Union Medical College Hospital (No. S-263). Written informed consent was obtained from the patient.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yingchun Xu.

Additional file

Additional file 1:

Near complete length GenBank Mycoplasma hominis 16S rRNA sequences analysis. A summary of all the Mycoplasma hominis16S rRNA sequences deposited in GeneBank. (DOCX 16 kb)

Rights and permissions

Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zhou, M., Wang, P., Chen, S. et al. Meningitis in a Chinese adult patient caused by Mycoplasma hominis: a rare infection and literature review. BMC Infect Dis 16, 557 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-016-1885-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-016-1885-4

Keywords