Antibiotic Therapy of an Infant With a Brevibacterium casei Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Infection

We describe a newborn infant with hydrocephalus and a ventriculoperitoneal shunt infection caused by Brevibacterium casei. Essential for correct diagnosis was rapid species identification by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight, after initial report of coryneform bacteria. The patient responded well to vancomycin and rifampicin for 15 days. The shunt was not removed. Repeated cerebrospinal fluid cultures up to 4 months after therapy remained negative.