Elizabethkingia anophelis

From WikiMD's Food, Medicine & Wellnesspedia

  • Elizabethkingia is a genus of bacteria commonly found in the environment worldwide and has been detected in soil, river water and reservoirs although it rarely makes people sick.
  • Cases are diagnosed through culture of body fluids, most often blood testing.
  • Elizabethkingia has mostly caused meningitis in newborn babies and meningitis or bloodstream and respiratory infections in people with weakened immune systems.
  • About 5-10 cases per state per year are reported in the United States, with a few small, localized outbreaks reported in both the United States and other countries, usually in healthcare settings.
Elizabethkingia meningoseptica Blood agar plate
Elizabethkingia meningoseptica Blood agar plate

About Elizabethkingia[edit | edit source]

  • Elizabethkingia is a genus of bacteria commonly found in the environment worldwide and has been detected in soil, river water and reservoirs. However, it rarely makes people sick.
  • Cases are diagnosed through culture of body fluids, most often blood testing.
  • Elizabethkingia has mostly caused meningitis in newborn babies and meningitis or bloodstream and respiratory infections in people with weakened immune systems.
  • About 5-10 cases per state per year are reported in the United States, with a few small, localized outbreaks reported in both the US and other countries, usually in healthcare settings.

Treatment[edit | edit source]

  • Elizabethkingia are Gram-negative bacteria that tend to be naturally resistant to many of the antibiotics that physicians may typically use to treat infections.
  • However, the strain responsible for most of the cases in the current outbreak can be treated with several other antibiotics, so early recognition of the bacteria is critical to ensure patients receive appropriate diagnosis and treatment.


Elizabethkingia anophelis Resources
Doctor showing form.jpg
Wiki.png

Navigation: Wellness - Encyclopedia - Health topics - Disease Index‏‎ - Drugs - World Directory - Gray's Anatomy - Keto diet - Recipes

Search WikiMD


Ad.Tired of being Overweight? Try W8MD's physician weight loss program.
Semaglutide (Ozempic / Wegovy and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) available.
Advertise on WikiMD

WikiMD is not a substitute for professional medical advice. See full disclaimer.

Credits:Most images are courtesy of Wikimedia commons, and templates Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY SA or similar.


Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD