Citrobacter meningitis and cerebral abscess in early infancy: cure by moxalactam.

A 7-week-old boy developed multiple cerebral abscesses as a complication of neonatal Citrobacter diversus meningitis. He was successfully treated medically with the experimental beta-lactam antibiotic, moxalactam. This is the first nonsurgical cure of brain abscess in early infancy. Fifty-eight percent of all previously reported cases of Citrobacter meningitis were complicated by brain abscess, mandating early, and serial computed tomography scanning in patients afflicted with the disorder. Moxalactam may become the chemotherapeutic agent of choice for the treatment of this serious neonatal infection.