[Pneumococcal pneumonia and septic shock in the newborn infant]

Pneumococcal sepsis and pneumonia in the neonate are rarely reported. They appear either as an early-onset respiratory distress with a high mortality rate or as a delayed infection. The authors describe 3 term neonates with an early respiratory distress syndrome and recall the main points of this severe foeto-maternal infection. Neonatal pneumococcal sepsis is strikingly similar to early-onset group B streptococcal infection. The isolation of the germ in the mother's vaginal flora is hazardous. Such cases suggest that early respiratory support and intensive circulatory resuscitation lead only to a slight decrease in the mortality rate, and thus preventive antibiotherapy is a necessity.