Present prognosis in neonatal meningitis.

A retrospective study of neonatal meningitis for a period of 6 years (1970 to 1975) is described. It was found that though the survival rate had increased since the introduction of the aminoglycosides, it was at the expense of major neurological sequelae in the survivors. It is suggested that breast feeding of all infants in the first few days of life will reduce the incidence of neonatatl meningitis. It is recommended that pooled human breast milk should not be heat-sterilized as this destroys anti-Escherichia coli immunoglobulin A.