Sepsis in Infants
A prospective study was conducted to determine the frequency and distribution of bacterial and viral pathogens in infants hospitalized with suspected sepsis and to evaluate the potential of virus detection for improving patient treatment. A causative organism was detected in 157 (67%) of 233 previously healthy infants aged less than 3 months who had been hospitalized for suspected sepsis: 19 (8%) had bacterial infections, 135 (58%) had viral infections, and 3 (1%) had mixed viral-bacterial infections. Viral infections occurred in a seasonal pattern: enteroviruses were responsible for most of the hospitalizations during summer and fall (65 of 110, 63%), and respiratory syncytial and influenza A viruses were responsible for most of the infections during winter (44 of 81, 55%).
