Epidemiology of invasive neonatal Cronobacter (Enterobacter sakazakii) infections

Abstract

About 120-150 neonatal Cronobacter spp. (Enterobacter sakazakii) infections have been described. An analysis of current case numbers, epidemiological measures and risk factors is warranted. Data of microbiologically confirmed cases, published between 2000 and 2008, have been analysed statistically. More than 100 neonatal Cronobacter infections have been reported in this period. The overall lethality of the 67 invasive infections was 26.9%. The lethality of Cronobacter meningitis, bacteraemia and necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) was calculated to be 41.9% (P∈ <10% and 19.0% (P∈