Salmonella sepsis in infancy
R. C. Davis
Of seven infants with Salmonella sepsis, three had meningitis. A review of
these cases and others previously reported demonstrated that among infants
less than 1 year old in Arkansas, Salmonella infection developed in 383
over a 31/2-year period. The reported incidence of sepsis and/or meningitis
was 1.8%; for those less than 2 months of age, it was 5.0%. Epidemiologic
investigation failed to disclose a consistent source of the Salmonella
colonization for young infants. Treatment of meningitis with ampicillin
sodium was frequently associated with relapse or clinical failure, while
chloramphenicol or a chloramphenicol-ampicillin combination appeared to
offer superior efficacy. Consideration should be given to antibiotics for
the routine treatment of Salmonella gastroenteritis in infants less than 3
months of age.
