ASSOCIATION OF AN IMPORTANT NEISSERIA SPECIES, NEISSERIA-ELONGATA SUBSP NITROREDUCENS, WITH BACTEREMIA, ENDOCARDITIS, AND OSTEOMYELITIS

We retrospectively analyzed epidemiologic information associated with 22 cultures of Neisseria elongata subsp. nitroreducens (formerly CDC group M-6) submitted to the Microbial Diseases Laboratory, California Department of Health Services, Berkeley, over a 16-year period. The most common illnesses noted with this bacterium were endocarditis, bacteremia, and osteomyelitis. Risk factors associated with N. elongata subsp. nitroreducens infections included dental manipulations and/or a previous history of endocarditis, valve damage, or rheumatic heart disease.