title: Culture-proven neonatal sepsis in Japanese neonatal care units in 2006-2008.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent Japanese epidemiology of neonatal sepsis and its predominant pathogens has not been reported. It is also unknown whether there are center differences in the incidence of neonatal sepsis, including early-onset sepsis (EOS) and late-onset sepsis (LOS) in Japan.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the morbidity and characteristics of neonatal sepsis in recent years and the differences in the incidence of sepsis among Japanese neonatal care units.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively collected the data of newborn infants with culture-proven sepsis that occurred in five Japanese centers of perinatal care from 2006 to 2008. The incidence of sepsis was calculated, including EOS and LOS, and compared among centers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Morbidity from sepsis occurred in 51/6,894 (0.74%) infants. The incidence of EOS and LOS was 0.13 and 0.61%, respectively. The incidence of total sepsis and LOS in infants <1,000 g of birth weight was significantly higher than that in infants who weighed >1,000 g at birth, whereas there were no significant differences in the incidence of EOS between the different birth weights. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was the most common pathogen involved in morbidity and mortality of neonatal sepsis. Significant center differences were observed in the incidence of LOS, but not EOS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The majority of culture-proven neonatal sepsis is LOS, which differs among centers, especially in infants who weigh <1,000 g at birth in Japan. We consider that it is important to control nosocomial infection in newborn care units to further reduce the morbidity of neonatal sepsis in Japan.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Kobe University Hospital, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Japan. ichim@med.kobe-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Morioka
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Morikawa
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miwa
authors.forename: Hirotaka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Minami
authors.forename: Katsuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoshii
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kugo
authors.forename: Yoshiki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kitsunezuka
authors.forename: Miki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Enomoto
authors.forename: Takumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jikimoto
authors.forename: Masakuni
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
authors.forename: Hisahide
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nishio
authors.forename: Masafumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsuo
authors.forename: Hideto
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamada
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018805:Sepsis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*