Multi-Drug-Resistant Elizabethkingia meningoseptica: A Rare Cause of Late-Onset Sepsis in a Preterm Neonate

Abstract

Elizabethkingia meningoseptica is a gram-negative bacillus and is a rare cause of opportunistic infections. Literature shows that this gram-negative bacillus may cause early-onset sepsis in neonates and immunocompromised adults; however, it is a rare cause of late-onset sepsis or meningitis in neonates. We hereby delineate a case of a preterm neonate, born at 35 weeks of gestation, presenting to us on the eleventh day after birth, with fever, tachycardia, and delayed reflexes. The neonate was managed in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Initial laboratory tests, blood, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cultures showed evidence of late-onset sepsis due to multi-drug-resistant E. meningoseptica sensitive to vancomycin and ciprofloxacin. The patient completed the antibiotic therapy and was discharged from the hospital. The patient was followed up at one and two months after discharge in the tele-clinic and was thriving well with no complaints.

Keywords: elizabethkingia; late onset sepsis; meningitis; multi-drug resistance; preterm neonate.