Septicemia and meningitis caused by Helicobacter cinaedi in a neonate

Helicobacter cinaedi has been most frequently isolated from rectal swabs of homosexual men with proctocolitis. The microorganism is a normal intestinal inhabitant of hamsters. We report a case of septicemia and meningitis by H. cinaedi in a neonate whose mother cared for pet hamsters during the first two trimesters of her pregnancy. The isolate was detected after 3 days of incubation in a Bact/Alert pediatric blood culture vial and an enrichment broth culture of the cerebrospinal fluid. H. cinaedi should be added to the list of unusual fastidious organisms that cause sepsis and meningitis in the newborn.