Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Infection Due to Anaerobic and Facultative Bacteria: Case Report

Few cases of anaerobic ventriculoperitoneal (vP) shunt infections have been reported in the world literature, and most of these infections have been caused by Propionibacterium acnes. We report a case of a polymicrobial VP shunt infection due to anaerobic and facultative bacteria. Infection is the major cause of morbidity and mortality among patients with CSF shunts. The rate of infection among patients who undergo CSF shunt procedures ranges from 2% to 31%. Most infections occur within 1 year of the initial shunting procedure, and the majority of these infections are caused by normal skin flora. These infections are most commonly caused by normal Staphylococcus species, usually coagulase-negative staphylococcus. They are less commonly caused by gram-negative bacilli. Streptococcus species Micrococcus species and Corynebacterium jeikeium. Shunt infections involving anaerobes are rare, and most of these infections are caused by P. acnes. We report a case of a VP shunt infection due to Clostridium clostridioforme, Clostridium ramosum, Bacteroides fragilis, and Klebsiella pneumoniae.