All cases of neonatal @entity2259 occurring at Neonatal Department of Pediatric Clinic, Catholic University of Rome, from January 1976 to December 1983 were examined retrospectively. Twenty-seven (30%) newborn @entity1 with positive blood cultures for coagulase-negative staphylococcus were identified. Seven (25.9%) of the 27 @entity1 were born at term, 4 AGA and 3 SGA; mean birth weight was 2,804 gm (range 2,280-3,670). All of these neonates had clinical evidence and laboratory signs of @entity295 , and one had the cerebrospinal-fluid culture positive for coagulase-negative staphylococcus. In the remaining 20 @entity1 (74.1%) the mean birth weight was 1,445 gm (range 810 - 2,400) and mean gestational age was 32 weeks (range 27 - 36). In 15 of the 20 preterm @entity1 clinical signs of @entity295 were associated with positive blood culture, and sixty percent of these had received an umbilical artery catheter. An half of coagulase-negative staphylococci isolated from our neonatal @entity295 were DNAse-positive and/or phosphatase-positive and/or @entity2656 -positive. Two full-term @entity1 , one with Down syndrome and one with @entity299 , died at 9 days and at 2 weeks of age, respectively. Three of 15 preterm @entity1 with coagulas-negative @entity295 died; deaths were among @entity1 of very low birth weights and immature gestations who had severe @entity1576 . These data show that coagulase-negative staphylococcus can be important cause of @entity295 in @entity1 with compromised host defenses as newborn @entity1 , and especially in the premature babies receiving invasive procedures.

[ XXXX caused by coagulase-negative staphylococci].

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients', 'infants'] @entity2656 :: ('MESH:D008353', 'Chemical') :: ['mannitol'] @entity295 :: ('MESH:D018805', 'Disease') :: ['sepsis', 'staphylococcal septicemia', 'septicemia'] @entity1576 :: ('MESH:D012131', 'Disease') :: ['respiratory syndrome'] @entity299 :: ('MESH:D006331', 'Disease') :: ['cardiac malformation'] @entity2259 :: ('MESH:D016470', 'Disease') :: ['bacteremia']
@entity295 :: (MESH:D018805,Disease) :: ['Neonatal sepsis']
