2658. Meningitis in Kidney Transplant Recipients: TransMéninges, a French Multicentric Retrospective Cohort Study

BACKGROUND: The management of meningitis requires the prompt introduction of high-dose probabilistic anti-infectious therapy. The literature reporting on meningitis in kidney transplant recipients (KTR) is scarce and no recommendation exists for this specific population. METHODS: We retrospectively included all adult KTRs diagnosed with meningitis (cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF) cell count >10/mm(3) or positive fungal antigen or direct examination) between 2007 and 2018 in 16 French hospitals. Clinical, biological, and therapeutic data, and 1-year kidney and patient survival were collected. RESULTS: Meningitis occurred in 134 KTRs (mean age 57+/11.8 years, 56% male), after a median time of 27 months (IQR 8–65); 25% of patients received an immunosuppressive treatment before kidney transplantation, induction treatment included lymphocyte-depleting antibodies in 63%, and 53% presented diabetes (34% before and 19% after the transplantation). The etiologies included Cryptococcus neoformans (30%), Herpesviridae (22%, including Varicella-Zoster Virus 15%), idiopathic forms (11%), Gram-negative bacilli (8% of which 20% produced an extended spectrum β-lactamase), %), infusion of intravenous immunoglobulins (6%), post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders (5%), Aspergillus fumigatus (4%), Listeria monocytogenes (4%), Enterovirus (4%), and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (3%). The most common symptoms were fever (82.5%), headaches (75%), encephalitis (55%), and convulsion (22.5%). CSF hypercellularity (found in 92% of the cases) was lymphocytic in 65% of the cases and neutrophilic in 35%. Initial anti-infectious therapy was inappropriate in 27% of the cases. One-year patient, graft, and death-censored graft survival rates were 84%, 76%, and 89%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Meningitis after kidney transplantation encompasses a wide range of causes, with C. neoformans and VZV explaining more than 50% of the cases. Gram-negative bacilli are the most represented bacteria with a high rate of antimicrobial resistance. Treatment guidelines should be reconsidered in the specific population of KTRs as the etiology greatly differs from what is observed in the general population. DISCLOSURES: All authors: No reported disclosures.