A newborn infant is described who presented with septicaemia and meningoencephalitis caused by Plesiomonas shigelloides, a Gram-negative rod belonging to the family Vibrionaceae. The patient in this case, the first to be documented in Europe, developed multilocular lysis of the brain despite immediate treatment with antibiotics active in vitro. A cranial CT revealed garland-like calcifications and a large amount of medullary necrosis was seen on MRI.