Globicatella sanguinis is a catalase-negative, rare gram-positive coccus. Due to its morphological similarity to viridans streptococci, identification of the pathogen at the species level using conventional phenotypic identification methods is difficult. The recent introduction of mass spectrometry have demonstrated that G. sanguinis caused more infections than previously thought.

The aim of this study is to present a case of ventriculoperitoneal shunt infection caused by G. sanguinis. A 77-year-old female was admitted to our hospital with complaints of urinary incontinence, amnesia, and difficulty in walking. The patient had underwent ventriculoperitoneal shunt surgery. The patient was discharged in good condition, but was admitted again after 18 days due to high fever. Upon physical examination, an abdominal fistula and discharge were observed, and the patient underwent surgery again. After taking of cerebrospinal fluid from the abdominal and ventricular ends of the ventriculoperitoneal shunt, the shunt system was removed, and an external ventricular drainage system was inserted. The cerebrospinal fluid samples, obtained from the ventriculoperitoneal shunt and the external ventricular drainage system were sent to Bacteriology Laboratory. The bacteria with gram-positive coccus morphology were identified as G. sanguinis by the Bruker IVD MALDI Biotyper 2.3 (Bruker Daltonik GmbH) device. By the E test (BioMeriuex, France), the agent was found to be resistant to ceftriaxone and susceptible to high-dose penicillin. To provide the most appropriate treatment to the patient, accurate identification of the causative agent and informing the clinicians on the antibiotic resistance profile are needed.