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Group B streptococcal septicemia of the newborn - Symptom

Symptoms:

Parents should watch for any of the following symptoms when their child is less than 3 months old, particularly in the first 6 weeks. The early stages of the disease can produce subtle symptoms.

Symptoms in the infant may include:

  • Anxiety or stress
  • Blue appearance (cyanosis)
  • Breathing difficulties such as:
    • Grunting
    • Flaring of the nostrils
    • Rapid breathing
    • Short periods without breathing
  • Coma
  • Irregular heart rate - may be fast or extremely slow
  • Irregular heartbeat
  • Lethargy
  • Poor feeding
  • Shock
  • Unstable body temperature (low or high)

Signs and tests:

Tests that may be done to diagnose this condition in a newborn include:
  • Blood clotting tests - Prothrombin time (PT) and Partial thromboplastin time (PTT)
  • Blood culture
  • Blood gases
  • Complete blood count
  • CSF culture
  • Urine culture
  • X-ray of the chest
  • Reviewed last on: 10/8/2007
  • Deirdre O’Reilly, MD, MPH, Neonatologist, Division of Newborn Medicine, Children’s Hospital Boston and Instructor in Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. Review Provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

References

Mandell GL, Bennett JE, Dolin R. Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 6th ed. London: Churchill Livingstone; 2005.

Schrag S, Gorwitz R, Fultz-Butts K, Schuchat A. Prevention of perinatal group B streptococcal disease. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 51(RR-11): 1–22, 2002.

Schrag S. Prevention of neonatal sepsis. Clin Perinatol. Sept 2005; 32(3): 601-15.

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