Bacteroides fragilis meningitis in a Saudi infant: case report and literature review

Intra-spinal abscess due to Bacteroides fragilis and Klebsiella pneumoniae co-infection in a child with spinal dysraphism

Bacteroides fragilis (B. fragilis) is an uncommon cause of spinal abscess. We present a case of an 18-month-old child, with spinal dysraphism-Spina bifida occulta, who developed intra-spinal abscess infection with B. fragilis and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain and spine showed multiple abscesses extending through the presacral fistula into the spinal cord. Patient was surgically treated along with administration of antimicrobial agents (ceftriaxone and metronidazole), resulting in an excellent clinical outcome.

Bacteroides meningitis in a healthy child: A case report and review of the literature

A 7-year-old male presented with meningitis. CSF gram stain showed gram negative rods, but the organism failed to grow on culture. 16 s rRNA sequencing identified the organism as Bacteroides fragilis. The patient fully recovered with antibiotic therapy targeting that organism.

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Anaerobic bacteria such as Bacteroides fragilis are a rare cause of meningitis in healthy children.

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Identification of pathogens from cerebrospinal fluid can be enhanced by use of techniques such as 16s rRNA sequencing.

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Our patient fully recovered with prompt antibiotic therapy.

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A high index of suspicion is needed to diagnose and treat anaerobic meningitis.

The Role of Microbiota in Infant Health: From Early Life to Adulthood

From early life to adulthood, the microbiota play a crucial role in the health of the infant. The microbiota in early life are not only a key regulator of infant health but also associated with long-term health. Pregnancy to early life is the golden time for the establishment of the infant microbiota, which is affected by both environmental and genetic factors. Recently, there is an explosion of the studies on the role of microbiota in human diseases, but the application to disease or health is relatively limited because many aspects of human microbiota remain controversial, especially about the infant microbiota. Therefore, a critical and conclusive review is necessary to understand fully the relationship between the microbiota and the health of infant. In this article, we introduce in detail the role of microbiota in the infant from pregnancy to early life to long-term health. The main contents of this article include the relationship between the maternal microbiota and adverse pregnancy outcomes, the establishment of the neonatal microbiota during perinatal period and early life, the composition of the infant gut microbiota, the prediction of the microbiota for long-term health, and the future study directions of microbiota.