Fatal neonatal central nervous system infection caused by Citrobacter diversus

Abstract

Citrobacter diversus is a serious, albeit rare, offender of the central nervous system (CNS) in the neonatal period and in early infancy. We report here a case of neonatal CNS infection caused by C. diversus. The course of the illness was one of rapid deterioration, leading to recurrent seizures, coma and death. Since neonatal C. diversus CNS infection carries a grave prognosis, intraventricular administration of gentamicin should be considered.