ABSTRACT
Objective:To study the clinical features, diagnosis and treatment of Bacillus cereus sepsis in premature infants.Methods:From February 2011 to February 2021, 10 cases of Bacillus cereus sepsis in premature infants admitted to the Department of Neonatology of our hospital were retrospectively analyzed.Results:The 10 cases of premature infants with Bacillus cereus sepsis included 5 males and 5 females, with gestational age 27 +2~35 +2 weeks, birth weight 940~2 430 g and the age of onset 7~35 days. At the beginning, all the infants showed lethargy and recurrent apnea as the onset symptoms. 8 cases had gray color skin, 7 cases had fever, 7 cases experienced septic shock, 5 cases had neonatal seizures and 4 cases showed abdominal distension. 7 cases were complicated with purulent meningitis and 3 cases with necrotizing enterocolitis. 9 cases had significantly decreased white blood cells and platelets and significantly increased C-reactive protein and procalcitonin at the onset. Among the 7 cases of purulent meningitis, 5 cases had multiple encephalomalacia. During follow-up of all the infants, 4 cases died, 3 cases cured and 3 cases survived with severe neurological sequelae. Conclusions:Bacillus cereus sepsis is a serious infectious disease for premature infants with acute onset, rapid progress and high mortality. Complication of purulent meningitis and serious neurological sequelae are common.