Salmonella Durban meningitis: case report and genomics study

BACKGROUND: Bacterial meningitis caused by non-typhoid Salmonella can be a fatal condition which is more common in low and middle-income countries. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case of a Salmonella meningitis in a Belgian six-month old male infant. The first clinical examination was reassuring, but after a few hours, his general state deteriorated. A blood test and a lumbar puncture were therefore performed. The cerebrospinal fluid analysis was compatible with a bacterial meningitis which was later identified by the NRC (National Reference Center) as Salmonella enterica serovar Durban. CONCLUSIONS: In this paper, we present the clinical presentation, genomic typing, and probable sources of infection for an unusually rare serovar of Salmonella. Through an extended genomic analysis, we established its relationship to historical cases with links to Guinea.