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Updated: Apr 23, 2026

A Neonatal Imaging Model of Gram-Negative Bacterial Sepsis
Published on: August 12, 2020
Salmonella berta meningitis in a term neonate
A C Bowe1, M Fischer1, L A Waggoner-Fountain2
1Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
Abstract:
We report the case of a 37-week male infant born via spontaneous vaginal delivery who developed Salmonella berta sepsis and meningitis. The infant was born to a mother with active diarrhea and stool cultures growing S. berta. On day 3, the infant developed poor feeding, lethargy, apnea and bradycardia prompting a sepsis evaluation. Blood, stool and cerebrospinal fluid cultures were positive for S. berta. An electroencephalogram performed for posturing revealed neonatal status epilepticus. Extensive bilateral periventricular venous hemorrhagic infarctions with multiple herniations were seen on brain magnetic resonance imaging. The infant's condition continued to deteriorate despite maximal support and care was redirected towards comfort measures.
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