Unusual exanthema combined with cerebral vasculitis in pneumococcal meningitis: a case report

INTRODUCTION Bacterial meningitis is a complex, rapidly progressive disease in which neurological injury is caused in part by the causative organism and in part by the host's own inflammatory responses. CASE PRESENTATION We present the case of a two-year-old Greek girl with pneumococcal meningitis and an atypical curvilinear-like skin eruption, chronologically associated with cerebral vasculitis. A diffusion-weighted MRI scan showed lesions with restricted diffusion, reflecting local areas of immunologically mediated necrotizing vasculitis. CONCLUSIONS Atypical presentations of bacterial meningitis may occur, and they can be accompanied by serious unexpected complications.