The full blood count in screening asymptomatic infants for early‐onset sepsis: A cross‐sectional study

Abstract

Neonatal early-onset sepsis (EOS) is a significant cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity, with Group B Streptococcus (GBS), the most common causative pathogen. 1,2 The introduction of intrapartum and neonatal antibiotic prophylaxis has significantly reduced the burden of EOS, from 1.7/ 1000 live births (1993) to 0.6/1000 live births (1998) in one large cohort in the United States 3 and from 0.47/1000 live births (1999)(2000)(2001) to 0.34/1000 live births (2003)(2004)(2005) in another. 4There is a lack of consensus regarding the use of inflammatory markers in the management of asymptomatic infants at risk of EOS.CDC guidelines published in 2010 5 recommended that a full blood count (FBC) should be measured when evaluating asymptomatic