Meningitis neonatal por Enterococcus faecalis

Enterococcal meningitis is a very rare clinical entity, accounting for 0.3-4% of bacterial meningitis, with Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) being the most common isolated species. There are risk factors for its development in newborns, such as maternal intrapartum fever, chorioamnionitis, prematurity, or previous intestinal resection.

The aim of this article is to describe a case of meningitis associated with early sepsis caused by E. faecalis in a newborn with fever, irritability, and in a poor general condition at 24 hours of birth, coinciding with normal cytochemical parameters in cerebrospinal fluid.

The clinical and analytical findings suggested an infectious process, which was confirmed by the isolation of E. faecalis in cerebrospinal fluid. The patient outcome was favourable after treatment with ampicillin and gentamicin. The epidemiological history suggested a vertical transmission.