Successful treatment of vancomycin-resistant enterococcal ventriculitis in a pediatric patient with linezolid

Although vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus infection of the central nervous system is not common, this organism is becoming an increasing problem in nosocomial infections. We report a 17-month-old male infant with an externalized ventricular peritoneal shunt secondary to infection who subsequently d...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Military medicine 2008-09, Vol.173 (9), p.927-929
Main Authors: Maranich, Ashley M, Rajnik, Michael
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acetamides - pharmacology
Acetamides - therapeutic use
Aged
Anti-Infective Agents - pharmacology
Anti-Infective Agents - therapeutic use
Bacterial Infections - drug therapy
Brain Diseases - drug therapy
Brain Diseases - microbiology
Cerebral Ventricles - microbiology
Enterococcus
Enterococcus - drug effects
Enterococcus faecium
Female
Humans
Infant
Linezolid
Male
Middle Aged
Oxazolidinones - pharmacology
Oxazolidinones - therapeutic use
Vancomycin Resistance
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Summary:Although vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus infection of the central nervous system is not common, this organism is becoming an increasing problem in nosocomial infections. We report a 17-month-old male infant with an externalized ventricular peritoneal shunt secondary to infection who subsequently developed a vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium ventriculitis. This infection was successfully treated with a 28-day course of linezolid while monitoring linezolid drug levels in both the cerebral spinal fluid and serum. This case supports the use of linezolid in treating such resistant infections. However, our drug level results suggest that further investigation is needed to determine the optimal dosing of linezolid in treatment of central nervous system infection in pediatric patients.
ISSN:0026-4075
1930-613X
DOI:10.7205/MILMED.173.9.927