An Unusual and Rare Cause of Meningitis in An Adult Renal Transplant Patient

Renal allograft recipients are on life long immunosuppressive medications. This predisposes them to serious infections such as meningitis. However, Escherichia Coli (EC) causing meningitis is uncommon, and extremely rare in adults. There is a dearth of reported cases in the literature. We report a first case of Escherichia Coli meningitis (ECM) in a renal transplant recipient who had undergone craniofacial surgery followed by radiotherapy for an ossifying fibroma associated with Hyperparathyroidism-Jaw Tumour Syndrome (HPT-JTS). Early recognition and choice of appropriate antibiotic therapy gave a successful outcome. Our case demonstrates the risks related to immunosuppression following renal transplantation, such as increased susceptibility to infections and decreased tumour immunosurveillance, which can contribute to potentially life threatening infections. Our case highlights the importance of clinical vigilance necessary in our patient cohort and discusses the pathophysiology of the virulence factors involved in the invasion of blood brain barrier (BBB) leading to ECM.