MALDI-TOF MS contribution to the diagnosis of Campylobacter rectus multiple skull base and brain abscesses

D Martiny; N Dauby; D Konopnicki; S Kampouridis; P Jissendi Tchofo; M Horoi; L Vlaes; P Retore; M Hallin; O Vandenberg

doi:10.1016/j.nmni.2017.05.014

MALDI-TOF MS contribution to the diagnosis of Campylobacter rectus multiple skull base and brain abscesses

New Microbes New Infect. 2017 Jun 7:19:83-86. doi: 10.1016/j.nmni.2017.05.014. eCollection 2017 Sep.

Authors

D Martiny^{1

2}, N Dauby³, D Konopnicki³, S Kampouridis⁴, P Jissendi Tchofo⁴, M Horoi⁵, L Vlaes¹, P Retore¹, M Hallin^{1

6}, O Vandenberg^{1

7}

Affiliations

¹ National Reference Centre for Campylobacter, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Saint-Pierre, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium.
² Faculté de Médecine et Pharmacie, Université de Mons (UMONS), Mons, Belgium.
³ Department of Infectious Diseases, Brussels, Belgium.
⁴ Department of Radiology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Saint-Pierre, Brussels, Belgium.
⁵ Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Saint-Pierre, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium.
⁶ Centre for Molecular Biology, LHUB - ULB, Pôle Hospitalier Universitaire de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.
⁷ Research Centre on Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium.

Abstract

Campylobacter rectus is rarely associated with invasive infection. Both the isolation and the identification requirements of C. rectus are fastidious, probably contributing to an underestimation of its burden. We report the case of a 66-year-old man who developed several skull base and intracerebral abscesses after dental intervention. Campylobacter rectus was isolated from the brain biopsy. Within 45 minutes of reading the bacterial plate, the strain was accurately identified by MALDI-TOF MS. This rapid identification avoided the extra costs and delays present with 16S rRNA gene sequencing and allowed for a rapid confirmation of the adequacy of the empirical antibiotic treatment.

Keywords: Campylobacter rectus; Intracerebral abscess; MALDI-TOF MS; Mass spectrometry; Skull base abscess.