title: Sepsis in asymptomatic term newborns delivered of antibiotic-treated mothers.
abstract: This study was undertaken to assess the incidence of culture-proved sepsis in term infants without symptoms born to mothers receiving intrapartum antibiotics and to determine the usefulness of the immature neutrophil: total neutrophil (I:T) ratio in the initial evaluation of these infants. A retrospective chart review was made of 103 infants born during a 3-year period. There was one positive blood culture and two positive cerebrospinal fluid cultures in three different patients; all three isolates were considered contaminants and all patients remained without symptoms. In spite of the lack of culture-proved sepsis and clinical illness, more than 50% of the initial I:T ratios were greater than the usually accepted upper limit of normal (that is, 0.16). We conclude that the incidence of sepsis in this population is very low and the initial I:T ratio is not useful as a predictive tool in term newborns without symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children, Indianapolis.
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Hertz
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Denne
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Liechty
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D009504:Neutrophils; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018805:Sepsis / Q000097:blood / Q000151:congenital* / Q000175:diagnosis
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents