Citrobacter koseri meningitis with cerebral edema and pneumocephalus in a neonate

Hillary Howell Ward; Priyanka Lauber; Lexis T Laubach; Jacob Fishbein; Marna Rayl Greenberg

doi:10.1016/j.radcr.2020.12.039

Citrobacter koseri meningitis with cerebral edema and pneumocephalus in a neonate

Radiol Case Rep. 2020 Dec 22;16(3):528-530. doi: 10.1016/j.radcr.2020.12.039. eCollection 2021 Mar.

Authors

Hillary Howell Ward¹, Priyanka Lauber¹, Lexis T Laubach¹, Jacob Fishbein¹, Marna Rayl Greenberg¹

Affiliation

¹ Lehigh Valley Health Network, Department of Emergency and Hospital Medicine/USF, Morsani College of Medicine, Cedar Crest Boulevard & I-78, Allentown, PA 18103, USA.

Abstract

Sometimes the only indicator of a serious infection in a neonate is a fever. Citrobacter koseri (C. koseri) has been reported to cause neonatal brain abscesses in the setting of meningitis. Although rare, pneumocephalus, secondary to C. koseri, carries a very high mortality. A 17-day-old male presented to the emergency department with a fever, decreased oral intake, and lethargy. The patient developed pneumocephalus and cerebral edema and was diagnosed with C. koseri meningitis, leading to death. This case demonstrates the presentation of C. koseri meningitis with pneumocephalus and cerebral edema in a neonate presenting with fever.

Keywords: Citrobacter koseri; Encephalitis; Meningitis; Neonatal; Pneumocephalus.

Publication types

Case Reports