Salmonella Sepsis in Infancy

Of seven infants with Salmonella sepsis, three had meningitis. A review of these cases and others previously reported demonstrated that among infants less than 1 year old in Arkansas, Salmonella infection developed in 383 over a 31/2-year period. The reported incidence of sepsis and/or meningitis was 1.8%; for those less than 2 months of age, it was 5.0%. Epidemiologic investigation failed to disclose a consistent source of the Salmonella colonization for young infants. Treatment of meningitis with ampicillin sodium was frequently associated with relapse or clinical failure, while chloramphenicol or a chloramphenicol-ampicillin combination appeared to offer superior efficacy. Consideration should be given to antibiotics for the routine treatment of Salmonella gastroenteritis in infants less than 3 months of age.