ISOLATION OF ARCOBACTER-BUTZLERI FROM A NEONATE WITH BACTEREMIA

We describe the case of a neonate with bacteraemia from whom the recen tly described organism Arcobacter butzleri was isolated This appears t o be the first report of the organism causing neonatal infection. Clin ical details suggest that the infection was contracted in utero, altho ugh the mother showed no evidence of disease before delivery. Treatmen t of the preterm infant was ultimately successful in resolving the inf ection but the organism proved resistant to a wide range of antibiotic s. Similar patterns of antibiotic resistance were also observed in 39 reference and field strains of the genus Arcobacter. These findings, c ombined with available data on the distribution of Arcobacter species, suggest that these organisms may be important human pathogens. Optimi zed methods for their isolation and identification are therefore requi red so as to ascertain their role in human disease.