An outbreak of urinary tract infections and septicemia due to Escherichia coli in male infants

Abstract

Eleven previously normal male infants under 2 months of age were admitted forpyelonephritis and sepsis due to E. coli to two Baltimore hospitals during one 12 week period in 1958. Bacteriologic records from one of the hospitals indicated that there was during this time an unusually high incidence of these infections. Strains of E. coli recovered from the blood of 2 of the infants, the only ones available later for study, were both identified as E. coli 04 : K12 (L) : H5. The clinical records of 10 of the infants were reviewed. Maternal obstetric complications were frequent, although the infants' neonatal courses were normal. Six of the infants were discharged from the same newborn nursery during a 3 month period. Clinically and pathologically these infants were similar to previously reported sporadic cases of pyelonephritis and sepsis. The strains of E. coli O4 isolated during the outbreak and a strain of E. coli O7 recovered from another isolated case of pyelonephritis and sepsis were more virulent for mice than an enteropathogenic strain of E. coli O111.