Successful surgical drainage and aggressive medical therapy in a preterm neonate with Bacillus cereus meningitis

Bacillus cereus meningitis is a rare disease with a very high mortality rate in neonates. The authors present the rare case of a premature infant with B. cereus bacteremia and subsequent intracranial abscesses. In addition to aggressive medical therapy, surgical drainage was performed via a left frontal mini-craniotomy. At 15 months of age, the patient had mild developmental delay, cortical blindness, and sensorineural hearing loss. The clinical case is described and difficulties in the management of B. cereus meningoencephalitis in infants are discussed.