title: Meningitis caused by Enterococcus gallinarum in patients with ventriculoperitoneal shunts.
abstract: Vancomycin-resistant enterococci have recently emerged as significant nosocomial pathogens. Here we describe two Japanese patients, a 57-year-old man and a 12-year-old boy, with ventriculoperitoneal shunts for hydrocephalus who developed meningitis caused by vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus gallinarum. The infection of the central nervous system in these two patients may have been associated with E. gallinarum derived from the gut. Removal of the shunts and antimicrobial treatment promoted apparent improvement in these patients. The risk factors and management of vancomycin-resistant enterococcal infections in the central nervous system are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Kitasato University School of Medicine, 1-15-1 Kitasato, Sagamihara, 228-8555 Kanagawa, Japan. yoko@med.kitasato-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takayama
authors.forename: Keisuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sunakawa
authors.forename: Tohru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akahoshi
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D002648:Child; D016983:Enterococcus / Q000187:drug effects*; D016908:Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D006849:Hydrocephalus / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D016920:Meningitis, Bacterial / Q000382:microbiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D020713:Vancomycin Resistance; D017287:Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C079914:VanC protein, Bacteria