Group B Streptococcal Septicemia of the Newborn
Alternate Names : GBS Sepsis
What are the signs and symptoms of the infection?
Infants infected before birth can be born with signs of shock, breathing problems, or even a coma. Usually, however, the infant looks normal at birth. Within the first several hours after birth, the infant may show signs of not doing well, including:
a changing temperature, which may become high or low
poor feeding
being difficult to arouse
turning blue
breathing problems. These may include rapid breathing, struggling to breathe, a grunting noise while breathing, and abnormal flaring of the nostrils.
meningitis, which is an infection of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. This occurs in about 10% of cases. This may result in a baby that is difficult to arouse. The child may also develop seizures, which are often uncontrollable shaking movements. The child may even go into a coma. The soft spot on the top of a baby's head may bulge outward abnormally.
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