The clinical picture of neonatal infection with Pantoea species

Pantoea infections are uncommon in humans. Most reports have involved adults or children after thorn injuries. There are only a few reports of systemic infections with Pantoea. This is the first report of the clinical picture of systemic Pantoea spp. infection in neonates as observed during an outbreak in a neonatal intensive care unit caused by infected parenteral nutrition solutions. Even though detected early, the infections had a fulminant course, causing septicemic shock and respiratory failure. Pulmonary disease was prominent and presented mainly as pulmonary hemorrhage and adult respiratory distress syndrome. The organism was sensitive to most antibiotics used in neonatal intensive care units, but the clinical response to antibiotic therapy was poor. The fatality rate was very high: 7 out of 8 infected infants succumbed to the infection (87.5%).