Bacteria Commonly Associated with Central Nervous System Catheter Infections Elicit Distinct CSF Proteome Signatures

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt infection is a common and devastating complication of the treatment of hydrocephalus. Timely and accurate diagnosis is essential as these infections can lead to long term neurologic consequences like seizures, decreased IQ and impaired school performance. Currently the diagnosis of shunt infection relies on bacterial culture, however, culture is not always accurate especially as these infections are frequently caused by bacteria capable of forming biofilms like Staphylococcus epidermidis, Cutibacterium acnes, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and may have very few planktonic bacteria in the CSF to be picked up on culture. Therefore, there is a critical need to identify a new rapid, and accurate method for diagnosis of CSF shunt infection with broad bacterial species coverage to improve the long-term outcomes of children suffering from these infections.