Abstract

Streptococcus salivarius caused fulminant meningitis in an elderly patient. A gastrointestinal diagnostic workup revealed an asymptomatic colonic adenocarcinoma. This first reported instance of S salivarius sepsis associated with a colonic neoplasm is not unexpected, since the organism is bacteriologically similar to S bovis, the prime bacterial indicator of occult malignancy. Exact speciation of streptococcal strains is fraught with technical difficulties, and gastrointestinal investigation may be warranted in an expanded variety of streptococcal infections.