Pantoea SPP: A New Nosocomial Infection in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Abstract

Pantoea SPP is a gram-negative bacillus, which usually colonizes plants, soil and water. This pathogen very rarely causes neonatal sepsis. The most common infections caused by Pantoea SPP are septic arthritis or synovitis, meningitis frequently complicated by brain abscess, upper respiratory infections, and peritonitis. We present the case of a premature infant who presented neonatal respiratory distress and whose evolution was complicated by the occurrence of a nosocomial infection for which a blood culture was performed isolating the germ Pantoea SPP. The patient’s management was initially centered on non-invasive ventilation with antibiotherapy based on carbapenem and aminoglycoside. Due to the clinical and biological worsening, the neonate was intubated and sedated and put on colymicin. The evolution was unfavorable marked by a death at 16th days of life. Considering the high pathogenicity of this germ and its multi-resistance to antibiotics, it is crucial to know the clinical spectrum of Panteoa SPP infections in neonatal intensive care units, in order to palliate the fulminant evolution of multifocal attacks due to this germ.