[Bacterial infection in the newborn by maternal-fetal contamination: oral antibiotic treatment of the colonized newborn. Prospective study at a maternity unit].

It is not yet known how important bacterial colonisation of the newborn is but in most maternity units this, when it occurs, is treated by parenteral antibiotic therapy. We have, in a prospective study, given antibiotics orally (amoxycillin or clavulanic acid-amoxycillin) in neonates who were colonised by bacteria, and have studied their clinical progress in the first month of life, using a questionnaire to be filled in by the parents. There were 119 neonates treated in 19 months and of these 87.4% of the parents replied to the questionnaires. The children did well in every case. A pharmacokinetic study showed that 76% of the amoxycillin given by mouth was absorbed. It seems, therefore, to us to be useful to give antibiotic treatment by mouth in these neonates.