Neonatal Parotitis: A case report

The following is a case report of a 17-day-old female baby, born at 35 weeks' gestation, weighing 2.6 kg. She was brought to us with reluctance to feed, swelling over the left side of her face and a fever documented at 102oF, along with an erythematous, tender, localised swelling over the left pre-auricular region that measured 2 x 1.5 cm in size. Diagnostic workup and ultrasound findings were consistent with parotitis; however, her blood culture was negative. The patient was managed on antibiotics but subsequently, developed a nosocomial infection while she was admitted in the hospital, which prolonged her hospital stay to a total of 16 days. Nevertheless, she had complete resolution of the signs and symptoms on her follow-up visit. Acute parotitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a neonate presenting with facial swelling, reluctance to feed or incessant crying. Timely and appropriate management can result in good recovery and minimising the potential for complications.