Neonatal sepsis caused by Streptococcus bovis variant (biotype II/2): report of a case and review

Streptococcus bovis is an uncommon cause of infection in neonates. However, S. bovis is capable of causing fulminant neonatal sepsis or meningitis that is indistinguishable clinically from that caused by group B streptococcus. S. bovis and S. bovis variant (sometimes referred to as S. bovis biotypes I and II, respectively) are phenotypically similar but may be differentiated by expanded testing. In adults, specific associations between disease states and different biotypes of S. bovis are apparent. No data exist on possible differences or clinical relevance of neonatal infection caused by different biotypes or newer species of S. bovis. We report a 3-day-old neonate with bacteremia and meningitis caused by S. bovis variant (S. bovis biotype II/2) and review the literature.