Neonatal Sepsis

Key points

• • Neonatal sepsis is a serious infection of the blood in a baby in the first weeks of life, whose immune system is immature.
• • Early-onset sepsis, in the first days, is usually caught from the mother around birth, often from Group B streptococcus or E. coli.
• • Late-onset sepsis, after the first days, is more often caught from the environment, including hospital sources.
• • The signs are subtle and non-specific: poor feeding, lethargy, temperature instability, fast breathing and a change in colour.
• • Because it can worsen fast, it is looked for actively with cultures and treated on suspicion while the results are awaited.