Sepsis occurs in fewer than 1 percent of newborns but accounts for up to 30 percent of deaths in the first few weeks of life. Sepsis affects twice as many boys as girls. Complications experienced during birth, such as premature rupture of the membranes or bleeding or infection in the mother, put the newborn at increased risk of sepsis. Symptoms Sepsis begins within 6 hours of birth in more than half the cases and within 72 hours in the great majority. Other symptoms include difficulty in breathing, seizures, jitteriness, jaundice, vomiting, diarrhea, and a swollen abdomen.
Symptoms depend on where the infection originated and where it has spread.
Joint infection may cause swelling, warmth, redness, and tenderness over the joint. The organism causing the infection is identified by taking blood samples and culturing any obviously infected part of the body. Antibody tests may help identify the organism. A urine sample is also examined under a microscope and cultured for bacteria. Samples of fluid from the ears and from the stomach may be taken for examination under a microscope.