New York City-based Columbia University scientists have identified the bacteria linked to post-infectious hydrocephalus, the most common cause of pediatric hydrocephalus — a condition in which fluids build up in the cavities deep in the brain.
The most frequent cause of hydrocephalus is a previous infection, such as neonatal sepsis, scientists from the Center for Infection and Immunity at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health wrote in a study published in Science Translational Medicine.
They examined cerebrospinal fluid taken from infants with post-infectious hydrocephalus and infants with hydrocephalus not caused by a previous infection. They tested samples from 100 infants in Uganda.
Researchers found the bacteria Paenibacillus species in samples taken from infants with post-infectious hydrocephalus as opposed to those with hydrocephalus. Subsequently, the findings were independently confirmed by researchers at State College-based Pennsylvania State University.
"Now that we have identified a pathogen that may be responsible for some cases of post-infectious hydrocephalus, we can develop new, more sensitive tests to quickly detect an infection, assess its severity, identify the source of such infections and hopefully provide targeted treatments to prevent the development of hydrocephalus," said study co-first author Brent L. Williams, PhD, assistant professor of epidemiology at Columbia's Center for Infection and Immunity.