This case report reviews the clinical course of an 11-day-old boy who
developed late-onset neonatal sepsis secondary to a rare neonatal path
ogen, Morganella morganii. This gram-negative enteric bacterium, withi
n the Enterobacteriaceae family, has most commonly been a nosocomial p
athogen in debilitated, postsurgical patients. Like many other Enterob
acteriaceae, M. morganii has an inducible beta-lactamase and is resist
ant to multiple antibiotics. When caring for neonates with culture-pro
ven M. morganii sepsis, the authors recommend administering both a thi
rd-generation cephalosporin and an aminoglycoside to ensure that both
antibiotics are bactericidal and to reduce the induction of resistance
.