Neonatal septicemia in Stockholm

In a prospective study to determine the incidence and etiology of neonatal septicemia at Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, all cases of neonatal septicemia in infants born at the hospital from 1981 to 1985 were reviewed. There were 4.0 cases of neonatal septicemia per 1,000 live births during the study period. During the five year period the incidence of septicemia tended to increase, mainly due to the increasing incidence of septicemia in infants with a birth weight below 1,500 grams. The single most common causative organism was group B streptococci with an incidence of 1.4 per 1,000 live births, Staphylococcus aureus accounting for 1.1 cases, Staphylococcus epidermidis for 0.7 cases, and gram-negative rods for only 0.4 cases per 1,000 live births. In a retrospective study of the incidence of neonatal septicemia in a non-selected patient population, all cases in the Stockholm area in 1983 were reviewed. In that year there were 17,586 live births in the area and the incidence of neonatal septicemia was 2.6 per 1,000 live births. Group B streptococci, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and gram-negative rods were equally common as causative agents.