Microbiology
Gram-negative nonfermenting obligate aerobe. E. meningoseptica, E. micicola, E. anophelis (most common isolate but misidentified as E. meningoseptica).
Epidemiologic Risks
They are found in the environment, especially water including hospital water. There was an outbreak of Elizabethkingia anophelis found in the hospital tap water (PubMed).
There has been an issue with outbreaks in Illinois with ongoing sporadic infections among critically ill patients (PubMed).
In Australia it is found in Culicoides biting midge (PubMed) so maybe insects are the vector?
Elizabethkingia miricola is found in Asian Spotted Frogs (PubMed) and in the Mir space station. I am not certain what the two have in common.
Syndromes
Bacteremia, VAP, meningitis, usually nosocomial.
Treatment
Often multidrug-resistant, perhaps piperacillin/tazobactam or TMP/Sulfa pending susceptibility testing.
One study suggests lower mortality with quinolones (PubMed).
Notes
One strain, E. miricola, was first isolated in the Russian MIR space station and not named after some fake Russian Pepsi. E. anophelis was first isolated from the midgut of the Anopheles gambiae mosquito.
Curious Cases
Relevant links to my Medscape blog
Last update: 12/30/18