A Small Outbreak of Neonatal Meningitis

The enterobacteriaceae are of particular importance in infancy as a cause of meningitis. Cooke and Bell (1922) postulated that certain strains of the coli aerogenes group might have a special tendency to invade the meninges, and suggested that full descriptions of the organisms isolated from such cases would be of value. Again, Barrett, Rammelkamp and Worcester (1942) commented on the frequent lack of sufficient detail for accurate classification of the organisms obtained in the majority of cases. Henderson (1948), in his review of Salmonella meningitis, found that a few types of salmonellae account for the majority of cases, and he also noted that three epidemics among the newborn accounted for more than one fourth of the 147 cases he had collected. A small outbreak of three cases of meningitis occurring in a maternity hospital is described, the organism being a hitherto unidentified member of the enterobacteriaceae.