Neisseria meningitidis: a cause of nosocomial pneumonia.

A 24-year-old man developed coma and many neurologic abnormalities for 2 weeks after ingesting phencyclidine. On admission, pulmonary aspiration occurred, for which he was given large doses of methylprednisolone, clindamycin, and gentamicin. These antimicrobial drugs were continued for 2 weeks until new pulmonary infiltrates were recognized. Neisseria meningitidis was subsequently isolated from cultures of conjunctival discharge, sputum, and blood and found to be resistant to clindamycin and gentamicin. N. meningitidis as a cause of nosocomial pneumonia in the setting of broad spectrum antimicrobial drugs is discussed.