[Bacteremia and neonatal sepsis]

A prospective evaluation of bacterial growth in blood of neonates at risk for early neonatal sepsis was carried on between January 1 st., 1989 and December 31, 1989. From all admissions to Gorgas Military Hospital Neonatal Unit in Ancon, Panama, 11.1% had perinatal risk factors for early sepsis. Fourteen percent (14.1%) had radiologic findings consisting with intrauterine pneumonia, and 1.6% had urinary tract infection. None of them grew any bacteria from blood cultures. Only 1 out of 64 newborns had a positive blood culture with the clinical picture of sepsis. This patient's blood culture grew Group B beta hemolytic Streptococcus. Confirmed sepsis incidence was 1.7/1000 live births while suspected sepsis incidence for this population and during this study period was 65 times higher.