Fatal pneumococcal meningitis in a 7-year-old girl with interleukin-1 receptor activated kinase deficiency (IRAK-4) despite prophylactic antibiotic and IgG responses to Streptococcus pneumoniae vaccines.

IRAK-4 deficiency causes IL-1R and TLR signaling failure, resulting in minimal clinical features despite invasive bacterial infection. We report the course of a 7-year-old IRAK-4-deficient girl presenting in the first year with multiple occult Staphylococcus aureus lymphadenitis. She was managed with antibiotic prophylaxis (sulfa/trimethoprim/PenV, then - due to neutropenia - Cefprozil), pneumococcal vaccination (PCV-7, Pneumovax23, PCV-13) and vigilance. Pneumococcal-specific IgG levels were monitored. No bacterial infections occurred on prophylaxis for 6 years after initial presentation. IgG response to pneumococcal polysaccharide was satisfactory but short-lived, requiring frequent boosting. At age 7, patient developed a morning headache and vomited once. Cefprozil was administered and re-dosed. Over 12 h, she was fatigued without other symptoms. Low fever accompanied another emesis. A few hours later she was confused, and purpuric rash appeared. Emergency physicians diagnosed sepsis/meningitis and started vancomycin-ceftriaxone. Respiratory failure and cerebellar herniation occurred <24 h after first symptoms. Blood and CSF grew Streptococcus pneumoniae type 6C resistant to second-generation cephalosporins. The patient's latest PCV-13 vaccination was 6 weeks before death, which included serotype 6A. Immunoglobulins were normal except IgG4 was increased (3.4 g/L). IgG response to vaccine antigens was satisfactory. IgG to 6A is reported to cross-react with 6C, but this was not the case here.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite antibiotic prophylaxis and repeated vaccination, even older IRAK-4-deficient patients are at high risk of rapidly fatal infection due to emergence of antibiotic resistance. These patients need early assessment at any age, bacterial culturing, alternative empiric antibiotic therapy and close observation when even vaguely unwell. Based on increasingly recognized immunological and/or clinical impairments in B cell function, and possibly other defects, long-term IgG prophylaxis in addition to antibiotics is recommended.