A 15-year-old girl was admitted with a high fever and progressive malaise, vomiting, anorexia and abdominal complaints. She previously had a sore throat and unilateral painful swollen lymph nodes in the neck. Laboratory investigation indicated a bacterial infection. Blood cultures were taken. There was infiltrate in the left lung. Pneumonia complicated with sepsis was suspected and ceftriaxone was started. The patient's condition deteriorated. Computed tomography (CT) scan showed progressive infiltrates in both lungs and pleural effusion. Blood culture led to the diagnosis. After changing antibiotics the patient slowly improved. Antibiotics were continued for several weeks.

We present a premature infant with an inability to ventilate spontaneously during sleep periods. In addition, the patient showed general hypotonia. The child had a delayed passage of stool and increased anal muscle tone, indicating Hirschsprung's disease. The combination of these symptoms suggested congenital central hypoventilation syndrome, which was confirmed postmortem by DNA analysis showing a mutation in the PHOX2B gene. MRI of the brain showed damage to the white matter, including the internal capsula. This type of damage to the white matter has not been described before in a premature infant, who did not experience birth asphyxia.