Bacterial sepsis remains a major cause of mortality and blood cultures are the gold standard of laboratory diagnosis even though they lack sensitivity in neonates. Culturenegative sepsis, also known as clinical sepsis, has long been considered a diagnosis in neonatal intensive care units because, as well as culture-positive infants, culture-negative neonates have worse prognosis in comparison with non-infected ones. Quantitative amplifications are used to detect bacterial infections in neonates but results are considered only in a qualitative way (positive or negative). The aim of the present study was to determine and compare bacterial load levels in blood culture-positive and culture-negative neonatal sepsis. Seventy neonates with clinical and laboratory evidence of infection admitted at three neonatal intensive care units were classified as blood culture-positive or culture-negative. Blood samples obtained at the same time of blood cultures had bacterial load levels assessed through a 16S rDNA qPCR. Blood cultures were positive in 29 cases (41.4%) and qPCR in 64 (91.4%). In the 29 culture-positive cases, 100% were also positive by qPCR, while in the 41 culture-negative cases, 35 (85.4%) were positive by qPCR. Bacterial load levels were in general < 50 CFU/mL, but were significantly higher in culture-positive cases (Mann-Whitney, p = 0.013), although clinical and laboratory findings were similar, excepting for deaths. In conclusion, the present study has shown that blood culture-negative neonates have lower bacteria load levels in their bloodstream when compared to blood culture-positive infants.

66,337 exams were conducted with population coverage of less than 70%. The prevalence of phenylketonuria was 1:33,068 live births and of congenital hypothyroidism was 1:9,448 live births. Only 22% of the samples were collected at the recommended ag, and most of the samples were collected between the ages of 8 and 30 days. The median age at collection was 12 days. It was observed that the service had difficulties in recalling suspected cases and financial difficulties in obtaining laboratorial reagents. Conclusions: The age at the time of collection and the delay at the diagnostic confirmation stage were the principal reasons for the delay in the initiation of treatment of the cases detected by the service. Arq Bras Endocrinol Metab. 2009;53(4):446-52. KeywordsCongenital hypothyroidism; phenylketonuria; neonatal screening; program evaluation InTRoDução A fenilcetonúria (PKU) é um erro inato no metabolismo do aminoácido fenilalanina (FAL). É uma doença genética, causada por uma mutação no gene que codifica a enzima, a fenilalanina hidroxilase, que é ativada no fígado e responde pela transformação da fenilalanina em tirosina (1,2). A elevação da fenilalanina no sangue permite a sua passagem em quantidade excessiva

Objective: To monitor the bacterial load in newborns with proven infections on the day of admission, 48 h and 7 days after treatment. Methods: Real-time PCR (qPCR) targeting the 16S rDNA. Results: The study recruited 17 newborns and the bacterial load was in general low (<50 CFU/mL). In three of four deaths, the bacterial load values increased, and in 11 of the 13 survivors the values decreased until the third evaluation. Conclusion: Considering the extreme sensitivity and high negative predictive value of qPCR, this test could help to monitor the treatment of neonatal sepsis and to assist in medical decision to discontinue antibiotics.

OBJECTIVE:To investigate the transmission of anti-Staphylococcus aureus (Sa) IgG, IgG1 and IgG2 via placental transfer and the transfer of IgA via the colostrum according to maternal Sa carrier status at delivery.METHODS:We evaluated anti-Sa IgG, IgG1 and IgG2 in maternal and cord sera and IgA in colostrum from a case (n=49, Sa+) and a control group (n=98, Sa-).RESULTS:Of the 250 parturients analyzed for this study, 49 were nasally colonized with S. aureus (prevalence of 19.6%). Ninety-eight non-colonized subjects were selected for the control group. The anti-Sa IgG, IgG1 and IgG2 levels and the IgG avidity indexes in the maternal and cord sera did not differ between the groups, with a low transfer ratio of anti-Sa IgG to the newborns in both groups. The anti-Sa IgG2 titers were significantly higher than the IgG1 titers in the maternal and cord sera. Inversely, the transfer ratios were higher for anti-Sa IgG1 compared with IgG2; however, no differences between the groups were detected. The Sa-specific IgA levels and avidity indexes in the colostrum were equivalent between groups.CONCLUSIONS:Maternal Sa nasal colonization at delivery is not associated with higher antibody levels in the mother or newborns. The high titers of anti-Sa IgG2 found in the cord serum indicate a greater reactivity with non-protein antigens, which may further contribute to the susceptibility to staphylococcal infections at birth. The presence of IgA in the colostrum with avidity to S. aureus reinforces the importance of breastfeeding shortly after birth.

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