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Review
. 2025 May;44(5):1245-1250.
doi: 10.1007/s10096-025-05077-w. Epub 2025 Feb 21.

Successful treatment of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii meningitis and purulent ventriculitis using cefiderocol combination therapy: a case report and literature review

Xuan Wang #  1 , Qihui Liu #  1 , Biwu Wu  2 , Huaiyin Zhao  3 , Jin Hu  2 , Ning Li  4
Affiliations
Review

Successful treatment of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii meningitis and purulent ventriculitis using cefiderocol combination therapy: a case report and literature review

Xuan Wang et al. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2025 May.

Abstract

The application of cefiderocol in treating carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) central nervous system (CNS) infections is rarely reported. Here we presented the case of a 66-year-old man with CRAB meningitis and purulent ventriculitis successfully treated with a combination antibiotic therapy including cefiderocol. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis revealed normalization of glucose, chloride, protein, and lactate levels. CRAB cultures turned negative by Day 7, and metagenomics next generation sequencing (mNGS) results were negative by Day 25. The cefiderocol-contained regimen was continued for 41 days, with no recurrence of CRAB infection and no cefiderocol-associated adverse effects were observed. This case highlighted the potential of cefiderocol as a promising therapeutic option in treating CRAB CNS infections.

Keywords: Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii; Cefiderocol; Meningitis; Ventriculitis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

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