RESUMO
Streptococcus pneumoniae is an unusual pathogen during the neonatal period. Two cases of neonatal early-onset sepsis, one of them associated with meningitis, are reported. Positive cultures for Strep. pneumoniae were obtained from both newborns and their mothers. Both newborns were full term with birth weights in the normal range. In one of them, amniorrexis occurred 18 hours before the delivery and the amniotic fluid was meconium stained. Significant clinical findings consisted in fever and respiratory distress. There was leucopenia and in one case the chest radiography was abnormal. Both neonates had an uneventful recovery after starting antibiotic treatment and no long term sequellae were detected. The incidence of neonatal sepsis caused by Strep. pneumoniae and its pathogenesis are reviewed.
