Klebsiella oxytoca meningitis: Frequent association with neurosurgical procedures

Klebsiella oxytoca meningitis is a rare condition. Nine patients were diagnosed between 1981 and 1993 at our institution. These accounted for 2.3% of 393 patients with blood and/or cerebrospinal fluid culture-proven bacterial meningitis. K. oxytoca was noted in both community-acquired meningitis and nosocomial meningitis. Eight of the nine cases were patients who had undergone neurosurgical procedures. Four were mixed bacterial meningitis. All K. oxytoca isolates were susceptible to third-generation cephalosporins and all but one to chloramphenicol. Antibiotic therapy was successful in eight patients but failed in one.