Neonatal Parotitis: A Case Report

Acute suppurative parotitis is a rare finding in the neonate. It is commonly caused by Staphylococcus aureus, but other bacterial isolates may be emerging. It is a novel disease for this age group and requires unique management. Only 32 cases of neonatal suppurative parotitis have been described in the English-language literature over the last 35 years.

We describe a case of a 14-day-old male who presented to the pediatric emergency department with a 24-hour history of swelling and redness of the right cheek. On examining him, purulent material was seen inside his oral cavity. He was subsequently hospitalized with a diagnosis of neonatal suppurative parotitis and received five days of parenteral antibiotics with improvement in swelling and redness. He was discharged home with oral antibiotics.

Although neonatal suppurative parotitis is rare, it should be suspected in newborns presenting with an erythematous pre-auricular mass with or without any predisposing factors. We describe a rare case of acute suppurative parotitis in a neonate and review the published literature.