A 24-day-old boy presented with fever, irritability and poor feeding. Blood culture grew methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis showed pleocytosis, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus grew from enrichment broth. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an epidural abscess extending from C2-3 to T8-9. Staphylococcal infections of the central nervous system are uncommon in neonates. This case demonstrates the importance of performing a lumbar puncture in isolated staphylococcal bacteraemia. The case also highlights that cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis may indicate a parameningeal focus of infection.