Value of Superficial Cultures: Diagnosing neonatal sepsis in a community hospital.

In a study of babies younger than 2 weeks who were admitted to a community neonatal facility with suspected sepsis, pathogenic organisms grown from superficial swab samples were compared with those from deep cultures to meet the gold standard definition of true sepsis. We conclude that superficial cultures have limited value in the diagnosis of neonatal sepsis in a community setting.