Bilateral sudden deafness as the first manifestation of Streptococcus suis capsular type 2 meningitis

Streptococcus suis meningitis is an occupational hazard of pork handlers. Hearing loss is one sequela of this illness. We report one butcher with Streptococcus suis capsular type 2 meningitis who initially presented with bilateral profound sensorineural hearing loss; meningitis was diagnosed by cerebrospinal fluid analysis. The organism was isolated and showed susceptibility to penicillin. After treatment with intravenous penicillin, all symptoms of meningitis improved except for his bilateral deafness. The clinical course and histological cause of this case are reported herein.