[Sepsis caused by Streptococcus pneumonia in newborn infants. 2 case reports]

Streptococcus pneumoniae is responsible for 2% of all neonatal sepsis. The results of epidemiological studies suggest that newborns acquire infection by the ascending route or during the passage through the birth canal. It has been hypothesized that colonization of the maternal genital tract with S. pneumoniae might be caused by contamination of obstetric instruments with the microorganism or by sexual practices, particularly oro-genital contact. From our NICU's database, two cases of newborn sepsis due to Streptococcus pneumoniae, occurred between 1988 and 1996 have been found; the first case presented a fatal disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), the second a severe respiratory failure. Antibiotic treatment of women carrying S. pneumoniae in the genital tract and their infants should be strongly recommended, on the basis of the potentially serious consequences for the infants.