Community-Acquired Acinetobacter baumanii Bacteremia in a 1-Month-Old Full-Term Baby

Community-acquired Acinteobacter baumanii (AB) infection in the pediatric population is a rare entity in developed countries. Most of the cases in literature have been reported from India and Pakistan. Few cases of pediatric AB infection have been reported in the U.S., the vast majority of which have been from the neonatal intensive care unit population. The ubiquitous nature of the organism makes it challenging to isolate and identify as a true pathogen. For this same reason, it is imperative to have a high degree of suspicion for AB infection especially in infants and immunocompromised patients particularly when no other etiologic agent is isolated. We present a case of a healthy 37-day-old full-term neonate who presented with sepsis from Acinetobacter baumanii identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. The patient responded well to timely administration of antibiotics. She received 14-day course of cefepime based on culture susceptibility with no reported complications.