Neonatal infections.

Neonatal infection still carries a high mortality and morbidity. The spectrum of infection is broad and includes congenital syphilis and viral infections. Sadly, nosocomial infection is common, particularly due to coagulase negative staphylococci. Very low birth weight infants are at high risk, particularly following prolonged central venous catheterization; continuous low-dose vancomycin may offer a solution to this important problem. Early identification of infected infants can be facilitated by measurement of interleukin-6 levels. The premature newborn, deficient in white cells and humoral immunity, is at high risk of infection; treatment rather than prophylaxis of such patients with immunoglobulin is efficacious. Exciting new management strategies appear to be the use of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor to enhance neutrophilia and zidovudine to reduce vertical transmission of HIV infection.