PASTEURELLA-MULTOCIDA MENINGITIS IN A 2-DAY OLD NEONATE

A normal full-term baby boy, born by vaginal delivery, became ill on d ay 2 with fever and failure to feed. CSF examination revealed 260 x 10 (6)/l leucocytes, mainly mononuclears, protein 2 g/l and glucose zero. Pasteurella multocida was isolated in pure culture from the baby's CS F, blood and umbilicus and from the mother's vagina. The baby was trea ted with IV penicillin for 7 weeks. Progress was complicated by mild h ydrocephalus, which resolved, and prolonged low grade fever. Recovery was complete, without neurological sequelae. This case illustrates tha t P. multocida can infect the vagina where it presents a hazard to a n ewborn infant delivered vaginally. Early diagnosis is critical, intrav enous high dose penicillin being the treatment of choice.