Haemophilus influenzae type b meningitis: occurrence in three siblings over a two-year period

Haemophilus influenzae type b meningitis occurred in all three siblings in one family over a 24-month period. Investigations of the organisms involved and immunologic studies of the family revealed low percentages of E-rosette-forming cells (T-cells) in both surviving children and in the father. This report suggests that host susceptibility to H influenzae is genetically controlled and that T-cell functions, as yet undetermined, may be involved.