Infections acquired by young infants

G. C. Maguire, J. Nordin, M. G. Myers, F. P. Koontz, W. Hierholzer and E. Nassif

Infections occurring among hospitalized young infants were surveyed for 24 months. Almost 10% of the 7,339 infants received antimicrobial therapy for five or more days for suspected community-acquired infections. Infants admitted directly to the normal-newborn nursery acquired infections at a rate of 0.6 per 100, whereas infants admitted to intensive care nurseries acquired infections at a rate of 16.9 per 100 infants. Bacteremia in association with nosocomial infection occurred frequently. The pathogens associated with community-acquired and nosocomial infections are different. Species of streptococci and relatively antibiotic-susceptible Enterobacteriaceae predominate as pathogens associated with infections in previously nonhospitalized infants. Organisms acquired in the hospital tend to be more antibiotic resistant.