''Elizabethkingia'' is a genus of bacterium in the order of

Flavobacteriales The order Flavobacteriales comprises several families of environmental bacteria. Comparative genomics and molecular signatures ''Flavobacteriales'' is of one of the orders from the phylum ''Bacteroidota''. Comparative genomic studies have ident ...

. It was established in 2005 from a branch in of the genus '' Chryseobacterium'', and named after Elizabeth O. King, the discoverer of the

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

. ''Elizabethkingia'' has been found in soil, rivers, and reservoirs worldwide. The genus contains several pathogenic species, such as '' E. meningoseptica'' and '' E. anophelis''.

Classification

The genus includes four

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

: * '' Elizabethkingia anophelis'', isolated from ''

Anopheles ''Anopheles'' () is a genus of mosquito first described by the German entomologist Johann Wilhelm Meigen, J. W. Meigen in 1818, and are known as nail mosquitoes and marsh mosquitoes. Many such mosquitoes are Disease vector, vectors of the paras ...

'' mosquitoes, can cause respiratory tract illness in humans,Wisconsin Department of Health Services:
Wisconsin 2016 ''Elizabethkingia anophelis'' outbreak
, March 11, 2016 the cause of a 2016 outbreak centered in Wisconsin. * '' Elizabethkingia endophytica'', isolated from blemished stems of

sweet corn Sweet corn (''Zea mays'' convar. ''saccharata'' var. ''rugosa''), also called sweetcorn, sugar corn and pole corn, is a variety of maize grown for human consumption with a high sugar content. Sweet corn is the result of a naturally occurring rec ...

, ''Zea mays'' * ''

Elizabethkingia meningoseptica ''Elizabethkingia meningoseptica'' is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium widely distributed in nature (e.g. fresh water, salt water, or soil). It may be normally present in fish and frogs; it may be isolated from chronic infectious states, as ...

'', can cause outbreaks of neonatal

meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, intense headache, vomiting and neck stiffness and occasion ...

in premature newborns and infants * '' Elizabethkingia miricola'', isolated from condensation water in

Space Station Mir ''Mir'' (, ; ) was a space station operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, first by the Soviet Union and later by the Russia, Russian Federation. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to ...

Epidemiology

A 2014 study revealed that ''Elizabethkingia'' is an emerging bacterial pathogen for hospital environments, with its incidence in intensive care units rising since 2004. About 5-10 cases of ''Elizabethkingia'' are reported per state in the United States every year. A recent study showed that incidence rates for ''Elizabethkingia'' increased by 432.1% for 2016–2017 over the incidence for 2009–2015. It possesses genes conferring

antibiotic resistance Antimicrobial resistance (AMR or AR) occurs when microbes evolve mechanisms that protect them from antimicrobials, which are drugs used to treat infections. This resistance affects all classes of microbes, including bacteria (antibiotic resis ...

and virulence. It naturally produces β-lactamases and shows intrinsic resistance to most β-lactam antibiotics, including carbapenems and aztreonam, but it may remain susceptible to piperacillin and piperacillin/tazobactam. Combined with a lack of effective therapeutic regimens, this leads to high mortality rates. Due to the growing incidence rates, lack of treatments, and high mortality rate, intensive prevention of contamination is necessary. One of the more significant risk factors for ''Elizabethkingia'' is whether mechanical ventilation was used with the patient. Because it can form a biofilm in moist environments, water or water-related equipment can also aid in the transfer of ''Elizabethkinga'' in hospital environments.

In children

Neonatal meningitis Neonatal meningitis is a serious medical condition in infants that is rapidly fatal if untreated. Meningitis, an inflammation of the meninges, the protective membranes of the central nervous system, is more common in the neonatal period (infants le ...

is the most common presentation of ''Elizabethkingia'' for children. Recent studies suggest that approximately 31% of children that have ''Elizabethkingia'' pass away from the infection, with an average life expectancy of 27 days from onset of symptoms. For the children who recover from ''Elizabethkingia'', about 48% report typical development and full recovery. 30% indicated an onset of

hydrocephalus Hydrocephalus is a condition in which cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) builds up within the brain, which can cause pressure to increase in the skull. Symptoms may vary according to age. Headaches and double vision are common. Elderly adults with n ...

post-recovery. Many other cases included various onsets post-recovery, including motor deficits,

cognitive deficit Cognitive impairment is an inclusive term to describe any characteristic that acts as a barrier to the cognition process or different areas of cognition. Cognition, also known as cognitive function, refers to the mental processes of how a person ...

s, ongoing

seizures A seizure is a sudden, brief disruption of brain activity caused by abnormal, excessive, or synchronous neuronal firing. Depending on the regions of the brain involved, seizures can lead to changes in movement, sensation, behavior, awareness, o ...

spasticity Spasticity () is a feature of altered skeletal muscle performance with a combination of paralysis, increased tendon reflex activity, and hypertonia. It is also colloquially referred to as an unusual "tightness", stiffness, or "pull" of muscles. ...

, and/or hearing loss.

''Elizabethkingia'' infections in dogs and cats

A 2021 retrospective review of 86 ''Elizabethkingia'' veterinary diagnostic laboratory results from US dogs and cats found 26 '' E. meningoseptica'', 1 '' E. miricola'', and 59 unspeciated ''Elizabethkingia'' isolates from nine US states, demonstrating that ''Elizabethkingia'' infections in animals may increase risks to humans.Weese, J., Sobkowich, K. E., Poljak, Z., & Bernardo, T. M. (2023). Isolation of ''Elizabethkingia'' spp. from Diagnostic Specimens from Dogs and Cats, United States, 2019–2021. ''Emerging Infectious Diseases'', 29(7), 1488-1489; https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2907.230218.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q16745544 Taxa described in 2005 Bacteria genera Flavobacteria