[Sepsis and neonatal meningitis].

The epidemiological, clinical and bacteriological data of 38 infants under 28 days of age with a diagnosis of neonatal meningitis (13 patients), early neonatal sepsis (17 patients) or late neonatal sepsis (8 patients) were retrospectively reviewed. 52.6% of patients were premature and/or low weight neonates, 76.3% had an unfavorable obstetrical history and 39.4% had one or more underlying diseases. The clinical features were predominantly neurological (81.5%), cardiac or respiratory (71%) and gastrointestinal (34.2); the most outstanding laboratory data were positive CRP, hyperbilirubinemia and abnormalities in leukocyte differential count. The major microorganisms involved were E. coli (11 patients), S. agalactiae (9), S. aureus (5), L. monocytogenes (3) and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (3). The overall incidence of these disorders was 3.33 cases/1000 live neonates, and the mortality rate was 7.9%.