Zakrzewski Jack, Hu Kimberly, Neisewander Brandon L, Esfahani Darian R, Bhimani Abhiraj D, Shah Harsh P, Haddadin Dafer W, Mehta Ankit I
From the Department of Neurosurgery, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, and Department of Infectious Disease, Community Healthcare System, St Mary Medical Center, Hobart, Indiana.
South Med J. 2019 Apr;112(4):217-221. doi: 10.14423/SMJ.0000000000000955.
is a rare, opportunistic pathogen most frequently contracted through contact with a contaminated source. An immunocompetent 26-year-old female patient presented to our institution with an infected lumboperitoneal (LP) shunt presenting as continued nonhealing wounds. After multiple debridements, shunt revisions, and wound closure failures, infectious disease specialists were consulted. The wound cultures returned positive for and the shunt was removed. Cerebrospinal fluid studies revealed significant pleocytosis with normal opening pressure, and the patient was diagnosed as having secondary meningitis. After shunt removal, the patient was treated with intravenous and oral antibiotics, resulting in infection resolution. Five months later, a new LP shunt was placed without infection recurrence. Although was previously reported in neurosurgical patients with ventriculoperitoneal shunts, which are summarized here, to date this is the first case in the literature of . meningitis from an LP shunt. This case demonstrates the importance of clinicians considering uncommon and slow-growing pathogens, as well as consulting infectious disease specialists for patients with persistent, unexplained infections.
