Neonatal Septicaemia—Incidence, Etiology and Outcome A 6‐year Analysis

Grauel, E. L., Halle, E., Bollmann, R., Buchholz, P. and Buttenberg, S. (Department of Neonatology, Pediatric Clinic and Institute of Medical Microbiology, University-Hospital (Charite), Berlin, GDR). Neonatal septicaemia—incidence, etiology and outcome. A 6-year analysis. Acta Paediatr Scand Suppl 360: 113, 1989. Between 1983 and 1988 we observed altogether 222 cases of neonatal septicemia and/or meningitis in our Department of Neonatology. The incidence was 8.46 per 1000 liveborn infants. The case fatality rate amounted to 45.9 Yo. The most frequently isolated causative agents were Escherichia coli (23,4 %) followed by group B Streptococci (16.7%), Staphylococcus aureus (9.9%), Klebsiella pneumoniae species (8.8%), Serratia marcescens (7.9 %), Pseudomonas aeruginosa and coagulase-negative Staphy-lococci each 5.9%. The report includes information about serotypes of Escherichia coli, group B Streptococci and plasmid patterns of Serratia marcescens. The latter was responsible for an outbreak of septicemia and meningitis with high mortality. The changing infection pattern reflects changes in the newborn population, especially in the patient structure of the neonatal intensive care unit, changes in the antibiotic policy and organizational problems.