Pyogenic ventriculitis following enteral bacterial translocation in a patient with small bowel obstruction

Abstract

The authors present a rare case of ventriculitis secondary to cerebro spinal fluid (CSF) colonization with Escherichia coli species in a 65-year-old woman. Passage of bacterial organisms from the lumen of the gastrointestinal tract to the bloodstream or lymphatic tissue is known as translocation. Once in the bloodstream, particular bacteria are able to cross the blood-brain barrier and migrate to CSF. Elective abdominal surgery, intestinal obstruction, colorectal cancer, ischaemic reperfusion injury and pancreatitis have all increased the risk of this phenomenon. This account highlights particular events in presentation and management of such a case, followed by a brief literature review.