Neonatal Sepsis

Information from 50 infants with neonatal septicemia from the Louisville General Hospital during an eight-year period (1964-1972) is presented. Twenty-five infants had gram-positive and the other 25 had gram-negative organisms. E. coli (13 cases), staphylococcus (10 cases), and hemolytic Streptococcus non-Group A (7 cases) were the mustcommon causative microorganisms. Only one of the 25 infants with gram-positive sepsis died; three with gram-negative sepsis died. Listeria monocytogenes was demonstrated in three infants; all had meningitis with no mortality. Early diagnosis, prompt intensive antibacterial therapy, and a high index of suspicion are most helpful for reducing the morbidity and mortality.