Infections acquired by young infants.

Infections occurring among hospitalized young infants were surveyed for 24 months. Almost 10% of the 7,339 infants received antimicrobial therapy for five or more days for suspected community-acquired infections. Infants admitted directly to the normal-newborn nursery acquired infections at a rate of 0.6 per 100, whereas infants admitted to intensive care nurseries acquired infections at a rate of 16.9 per 100 infants. Bacteremia in association with nosocomial infection occurred frequently. The pathogens associated with community-acquired and nosocomial infections are different. Species of streptococci and relatively antibiotic-susceptible Enterobacteriaceae predominate as pathogens associated with infections in previously nonhospitalized infants. Organisms acquired in the hospital tend to be more antibiotic resistant.