Although the warning signs start off mild, infections in newborns can become very dangerous, very quickly. Infections can cause a range of injuries that can cause permanent damage or death. Less serious cases may still leave the newborn with severe injuries that change their lives and their family’s.
There are a variety of symptoms related to infections in newborns, many of which are associated with multiple types of infections. Healthcare teams must be ready to anticipate, diagnose, and treat infections as soon as they notice signs that something may be wrong. The quicker staff can determine that a newborn is at risk for infection, the sooner they can begin treating the baby and identifying the specific infection.
Symptoms of birth injury infection
- Trouble breathing
- Excessive sleepiness
- Poor feeding or a weak suck
- Seizures
- Vomiting
- Fever or low temperature
- Color changes
- Irritability
There are a few common ways infections develop in newborns, and because they’re known, medical staff must be alert to the window of opportunity to identify and treat infections before they get too severe.
During the pregnancy, staff may fail to follow steps designed to prevent Group B Streptococcal (GBS), including screening. If signs of GBS are noted, healthcare teams need to ensure that intrapartum antibiotics are administered to the mother when GBS is indicated.
At any point during or after birth, medical staff must identify, diagnose, and provide treatment in a timely manner. Delays in those steps or dismissing symptoms as “normal” conditions can cost the newborn valuable time in its ability to fight the infection.
Failure by the staff to closely monitor the newborn’s vital signs, oxygen, perfusion, and feeding may cause the team to miss signs of infection. Poor control of the infection or a delay in responding to it can allow it to get worse.
Staff may also administer the incorrect medication, the wrong dosage of the correct medication, or take too long to administer medications that fight infection, further complicating the issue.
Most common infectious brain injuries
Brain Abscess — Although rare, a brain abscess is very dangerous because it is a pocket of pus in the brain. An abscess can cause seizures, developmental disabilities, neurological problems, and in severe cases, life-threatening brain swelling. A brain abscess is a complication of severe infections, such as meningitis or sepsis.
Group B Streptococcal (GBS) Infection — While GBS is a common bacterium that can live in the pregnant mother’s body, its symptoms don’t always present. GBS can cause severe illnesses such asmeningitis, pneumonia, and sepsis, all of which may cause brain injuries or long-term disability.
Neonatal Meningitis — Caused by an infection and inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, meningitis is a potentially fatal infection. In newborns, meningitis may present as sepsis, but symptoms may also include seizures or a soft spot on the top of the newborn’s head.
Meningitis can cause long-term hearing loss, developmental delays, seizures, and in extreme cases, death.
Neonatal Pneumonia — An infection of the lungs, pneumonia makes it difficult for the newborn to breathe, often requiring a ventilator. If oxygen levels get too low, the baby can develop a hypoxic brain injury, which carries serious consequences. Pneumonia can also trigger sepsis or be fatal.
Neonatal Sepsis — An infection in the bloodstream, sepsis can quickly cause the newborn to experience shock or organ failure. Sepsis can cause injury to multiple organs, brain damage, seizures, and death. The non-fatal injuries may cause permanent damage to the newborn or impact their development.
Sepsis-associated Encephalopathy — This causes the brain not to function properly due to sepsis, but does not involve the direct infection of the brain or spinal fluid. It can cause severe inflammation, leading to problems with blood flow or oxygen delivery. Those issues can then cause long-lasting brain injury or developmental concerns.
Infectious FAQ’s
Is a brain abscess in a newborn life-threatening?
Yes. A brain abscess can be life-threatening, especially if diagnosis or treatment is delayed. The abscess can grow, increase pressure inside the skull, damage nearby brain tissue, and cause seizures or stroke-like injuries.
If the infection spreads or the baby also has sepsis or meningitis, the risk is even greater. Some babies survive, but can experience long-term problems, including developmental delays, movement problems, seizures, vision issues, hearing problems, or cognitive disabilities. The best way for the baby to avoid severe injury is for medical staff to act quickly when symptoms are noticed.
What infections can lead to a brain abscess in a newborn?
When bacteria, fungi, or other germs reach the brain, an abscess can develop. In newborns, this may happen after a bloodstream infection, sepsis, meningitis, pneumonia, or another serious infection.
Some infections may begin before birth, during delivery, or after birth, in the hospital or at home. Babies with immune problems, congenital heart disease, or other serious medical conditions may face a higher risk of an abscess forming. The exact cause often depends on blood cultures, spinal fluid testing, imaging, and other medical evidence.
Can GBS infection cause brain damage?
Yes. When GBS infection leads to meningitis, severe sepsis, shock, poor oxygen delivery, seizures, or swelling around the brain, brain damage can occur. Because meningitis involves infection around the brain and spinal cord, it is especially dangerous to the brain. In some cases, babies who survive GBS meningitis later have hearing loss, vision problems, developmental delays, seizures, cerebral palsy, or learning problems.
The risk of long-term injury largely depends on how severe the infection was, how quickly it was treated, and whether the baby suffered complications such as low blood pressure, breathing failure, or prolonged seizures.
Can GBS infection be prevented?
While many cases can be prevented, not all are avoidable. The Centers for Disease Control advise pregnant women to be screened for GBS, and women at increased risk should receive IV antibiotics during labor. These antibiotics help protect the baby during birth.
Because the bacteria can grow back, antibiotics taken before labor or by mouth do not reliably prevent newborn GBS disease. Late-onset GBS disease is harder to prevent, and health experts have not identified an effective prevention strategy for it. Prevention depends on proper screening, communication, labor care, and newborn monitoring.
Can Group B Strep cause neonatal meningitis?
Yes. Group B Streptococcus (GBS) can cause serious infections in newborns, including bloodstream infections, pneumonia, sepsis, and meningitis. GBS can pass from mother to baby during labor and delivery. That’s why it’s so important for medical staff to do a proper pregnancy screening and provide the correct antibiotics during labor.
If a mother tests positive for GBS, has GBS in her urine during pregnancy, previously had a baby with GBS disease, or has certain risk factors during labor, medical providers may need to give antibiotics to reduce the baby’s risk. When GBS prevention steps are missed, and the baby develops a serious infection, parents may need to ask whether proper care was provided.
How is neonatal meningitis diagnosed?
Neonatal meningitis is typically diagnosed through observing a combination of symptoms, physical exam findings, blood tests, cultures, and a lumbar puncture. A lumbar puncture, also called a spinal tap, allows doctors to test the fluid around the brain and spinal cord. This test can help show whether bacteria, viruses, or inflammation are present.
Doctors may also order blood cultures, urine testing, imaging, or other lab work. If meningitis is suspected, treatment should not be delayed while waiting for every test result. The newborn may need IV antibiotics right away, as bacterial meningitis can become life-threatening very quickly.
What causes pneumonia in newborns?
Bacteria, viruses, fungi, or other germs can cause neonatal pneumonia. If the mother has an infection that reaches the baby, some infections begin before birth. Some happen during delivery when the baby is exposed to bacteria in the birth canal.
Group B Streptococcus is an important cause of serious infections in newborns and can lead to pneumonia, sepsis, or meningitis. Other cases happen after birth, especially in premature babies or babies in the NICU. Breathing tubes, ventilators, and long hospital stays can raise the risk of hospital-acquired pneumonia.
Is neonatal pneumonia the same as newborn sepsis?
No, but the two conditions can be closely related. Pneumonia is an infection in the lungs. Sepsis is a dangerous body-wide response to infection that can affect the blood, organs, and circulation.
A newborn with pneumonia can also develop sepsis if the infection spreads or causes a severe inflammatory response. That’s one of the reasons why doctors often treat suspected neonatal pneumonia seriously. A baby with pneumonia may need blood cultures, antibiotics, oxygen support, and close monitoring for signs that the infection is affecting more than just the lungs.
Can Group B Strep cause neonatal sepsis?
Yes. Group B Streptococcus, often called GBS, is one of the most important causes of serious infections in newborns. GBS is known to cause sepsis, pneumonia, meningitis, and bloodstream infections in newborns. Some pregnant women carry GBS without feeling sick.
That’s why screening and proper labor management are so important. If a mother is GBS-positive or has certain risk factors, providers may need to give antibiotics during labor to reduce the baby’s risk of GBS infection.
Can neonatal sepsis cause long-term injuries?
Yes. While some babies fully recover when the infection is caught and treated quickly, severe neonatal sepsis can cause long-term injuries. If the infection spreads to the brain or spinal fluid, the baby may develop meningitis, seizures, hearing loss, vision problems, brain injury, or developmental delays.
Severe sepsis can also cause low blood pressure, poor oxygen delivery, organ damage, or shock. Premature babies and babies who become very sick may be at a higher risk of experiencing long-term problems. The outcome often depends on how severe the infection was and how quickly treatment began.
Is sepsis-associated encephalopathy the same as meningitis?
No. Meningitis means there is infection and inflammation in the membranes around the brain and spinal cord. Sepsis-associated encephalopathy means the brain is not working normally because of sepsis somewhere in the body. A baby can have sepsis-associated encephalopathy without meningitis.
However, newborns can have both conditions at the same time. That’s why doctors will order blood cultures, spinal fluid testing, imaging, and other studies when a newborn shows signs of infection and abnormal brain function. It’s important to understand the distinction because the cause, treatment plan, and long-term risks may differ depending on the diagnosis.
Can sepsis-associated encephalopathy cause permanent brain injury?
Absolutely. While some babies recover well after fast treatment, others may suffer long-term problems. That’s especially true if sepsis causes shock, seizures, low oxygen, low blood sugar, poor blood flow to the brain, or multi-organ failure.
Possible long-term issues include developmental delays, seizure disorders, movement problems, feeding problems, learning challenges, hearing or vision problems, and cerebral palsy-like symptoms. The severity of the injuries depends on how sick the baby became, how long the brain was under stress, whether seizures occurred, and how quickly the infection and related complications were treated.
When to call a infectious brain injury lawyer
Infectious injuries are among the most serious injuries a newborn can experience because they can be very difficult to pinpoint. With so many infections sharing symptoms, it’s crucial that healthcare staff take every step necessary to be prepared to quickly diagnose the actual infection. Proper monitoring of the situation and accurate testing must be conducted to prevent an infection from worsening.
Serious birth injuries demand serious representation. With over 50 years of experience in courtrooms across Florida, the medical malpractice lawyers at Weisser Law have the reputation and record you need to secure every dollar of compensation you deserve. Weisser Law, where exceptional experience means exceptional results.