[Diagnostic possibility in neonatal bacterial infections]

Bacterial infections in neonates may be acquired in utero, as is the case in congenital syphilis, or after delivery, such as late onset B streptococcal meningitis. Although some infections remain localized and may even be self-limiting, the majority of neonatal bacterial infections require speedy diagnosis and immediate and appropriate treatment. Severe invasive bacterial infections are rare but catastrophic; they are more common in intensive care wards. Neonatal, maternal, and environmental factors favoring bacterial infections are discussed together with their main clinical features. Useful diagnostic parameters are examination of the placenta, leukocyte counting, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and C-reactive protein. If a bacterial infection is suspected in a baby that is sick or in poor general condition (low birth weight, therapies, environmental conditions) a "septic therapeutic approach" must be adopted which includes examination and culture of blood, cerebrospinal fluid, and urine, as well as of any other suitable material according to clinical and laboratory findings. Pathogens most frequently involved in neonatal infections (streptococci, staphylococci, Listeria, gram-negative enteral bacteria) can be presumptively identified by comparatively simple laboratory tests. The valid interpretation of the results of these tests is dependent upon the degree to which the laboratory personnel is familiar with techniques of identification and assessment of sensitivity, as well as on the close cooperation between clinical department and laboratory from the start and all along the course of the disease.