Alert: Neisseria meningitidis Resistant to Ciprofloxacin

Neisseria meningitidis can cause life-threatening bacterial meningitis primarily in children and young adults. Although two highly effective vaccines are available to prevent disease — one polyvalent against serogroups A, C, W, and Y, the other monovalent against serogroup B — the incidence of disease remains at about 400 cases per year in the U.S., with a mortality of 10% to 15%. Until now, isolates have been sensitive to penicillin to the point where antibiotic sensitivity is not routinely determined. Likewise, ciprofloxacin has been assumed to be highly effective as postexposure prophylaxis.

Now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports 11 meningococcus type Y isolates from disparate parts of the U.S. that contain a β-…