BACTERIAL BLOOD AND CEREBROSPINAL FLUID ISOLATES IN INFANTS ONE TO THREE MONTHS OLD

Bacterial sepsis and meningitis are important causes of morbidity and mortality in young infants. Antibiotics are generally started empirically for suspected sepsis and meningitis in this patient population before the organism is identified. The current recommended empiric regimen for infants 1 to 3 months old is ampicillin and cefotaxime or ceftriaxone to cover organisms associated with sepsis and meningitis in both the neonatal and pediatric age groups. Previous studies found group B streptococci (GBS), Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae to be the predominant meningeal pathogens in young infants. Bacteremia alone was not addressed in these studies which were published between 1973 and 1983. We are unaware of recent surveys of blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pathogens in infants 1 to 3 months old. Therefore the present study was undertaken to review our experience with community-acquired blood and CSF isolates in infants 1 to 3 months old in order to update current information on the relative frequency of these pathogens in this specific population.