MENINGOCOCCAL MENINGITIS SECONDARY TO MENINGOCOCCAL CERVICITIS - A CASE WITH IDENTITY OF ISOLATES CONFIRMED BY MOLECULAR TYPING

A case of Neisseria meningitidis cervicitis and subsequent meningitis after genital tract instrumentation is reported. Molecular typing usin g random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis (RAPD) confirmed the genit al and CSF isolates were identical. N meningitidis has previously been isolated from the cervix and urethra and is a recognised cause of cer vicitis and urethritis. It has, however, only rarely been associated w ith secondary dissemination and to our knowledge this is the first pub lished case of N meningitidis meningitis associated with instrumentati on of an infected genital tract. RAPD analysis demonstrated both the g enital and CSF isolates to be the same. This case demonstrates the pat hogenicity of cervical N meningitidis as a cause of both local cervici tis and, after instrumentation, meningitis. If this organism is isolat ed from the genital tract then consideration should be given to treatm ent, especially if instrumentation is planned.