Cerebrospinal fluid penetration and bacteriostatic activity of linezolid against Enterococcus faecalis in a child with a ventriculoperitoneal shunt infection.

We report a 4-year-old girl with a complicated Enterococcus faecalis ventriculoperitoneal shunt infection who failed vancomycin therapy. We demonstrate linezolid's high CSF penetration and its CSF bacteriostatic activity against E. faecalis. Linezolid may be a good alternative for treatment of ventriculoperitoneal shunt infections in cases of vancomycin-resistant organisms or apparent treatment failures.