Salmonella sepsis in infancy.
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.
D000667:Ampicillin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001131:Arkansas; D002701:Chloramphenicol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008581:Meningitis / Q000209:etiology; D012480:Salmonella Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018805:Sepsis / Q000209:etiology
D002701:Chloramphenicol; D000667:Ampicillin