Neisseria mucosus septicemia after near-drowning.

Neisseria mucosus is a normal inhabitant of the upper respiratory tract which may rarely cause serious infection. A 21-year-old woman had N mucosus bacteremia and the adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) after a near-drowning episode. Despite appropriate antibiotic therapy and intensive respiratory support, the patient died. Bacteremia with this organism is rare, and we believe it has not previously been reported in association with near-drowning.