Bacillus pumilus is an environmental contaminant that has been rarely associated with clinical infections. Here, two cases of severe sepsis caused by B. pumilus are described in two full-term neonates; one in a female infant with no factors predisposing her to infection and the other in a male infant requiring mechanical ventilation and an intravenous catheter. In both cases, the microorganism was recovered from repeated blood cultures and was identified using biochemical assays and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Both infants were successfully treated with vancomycin. This report reveals the potential role of B. pumilus as a bloodstream pathogen during infancy.

The goal of the present study is to investigate the relationship between anthropometric and bone metabolism markers in a sample of neonates and their mothers. A sample of 20 SGA (small for the gestational age), AGA (appropriate for the gestational age) and LGA (large for the gestational age) term neonates and their 20 mothers was analyzed at birth and at exit. Elisa method was used to measure the OPG (Osteoprotegerin), RANK (Receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB), RANKL (Receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB Ligand), IGF-1 (Insulin-like growth factor 1), IGFBP3 (Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3) and Leptin levels. Birth weight and length were positively correlated with RANKL, IGF-1 and IGFBP3 and negatively with the ratio OPG/RANKL. SGA neonates presented lower RANKL values and higher OPG/RANKL ratio while LGA neonates had higher RANK levels than AGA neonates. Positive association was shown between neonatal IGFBP3 and maternal IGF-1 values and between neonatal and maternal RANK values at birth and at exit. These results reveal a remarkable upregulation of OPG/RANKL ratio in SGA neonates, pointing out the role of bone turnover in compensating for the delayed neonatal growth.

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