title: Bacterial colonisation and infection in lesions of the central nervous system.
abstract: A study was made of the pattern of bacterial colonisation during the first month of life in a group of 116 newborn infants with spina bifida. 55 patients subsequently developed a total of 90 infective episodes and in over three-quarters of these episodes there was a correlation between the infecting and colonising organisms. The principal sites of infection were the lesion, the ventricles and the urinary tract, and infection accounted for 27 of the 35 deaths in the series. Some of the factors governing the pattern of colonisation and the development of infection in newborn patients are discussed.
mesh_terms: D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000209:etiology*; D002552:Cerebral Ventricles; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012867:Skin / Q000382:microbiology*; D016135:Spinal Dysraphism / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000209:etiology