Acute Bacterial Meningitis Due to Neisseria Meningitidis Serotype B Missed by a Multiplexed PCR Panel.

Bacterial meningitis is defined clinically by a triad that includes fever, neck stiffness and altered mental status and represents a medical emergency with a high mortality rate. Its worldwide incidence in high-income countries is estimated at 80/100 000 individuals per year. Delayed antimicrobial therapy increases mortality and neurological sequelae for survivors. Rapid diagnostic methods were developed to identify the most common pathogens responsible for community-acquired bacterial meningitis. Pathogen-specific multiplexed PCR panels such as BioFire® Meningitis/Encephalitis (ME) screens for 14 different pathogens with 94.2% sensitivity and 99.8% specificity [ [1] Tansarli G.S. Chapin K.C. Diagnostic test accuracy of the BioFire(R) FilmArray(R) meningitis/encephalitis panel: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2020; 26: 281-290https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmi.2019.11.016 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (127) Google Scholar ]. Hereafter, we describe the case of a 19-year-old female with Neisseria meningitidis serotype B bacterial meningitis missed by the BioFire® ME panel and bring possible explanations for this false negative.