Gardnerella vaginalis bacteremia in a premature neonate

Gardnerella vaginalis is a normal component of the human vaginal flora and commonly associated with bacterial vaginosis. Invasive infection in obstetrical patients due to G. vaginalis has also been reported. In the pediatric age range, infection due to G. vaginalis is extremely rare and limited to neonates. We describe a 23-week premature infant with G. vaginalis bacteremia and review the characteristics of neonatal G. vaginalis infection reported in the literature. Antibiotic susceptibility testing of G. vaginalis isolates has shown that penicillin, ampicillin, erthromycin, clindamycin, and vancomycin are effective in vitro.