Pathogen aetiology and risk factors for death among neonates with bloodstream infections at lower-tier South African hospitals: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Infections are among the top causes of neonatal mortality, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries. We aimed to describe the clinical characteristics of neonates diagnosed with culture-confirmed bloodstream infections at six lower-tier hospitals in South Africa.

Methods: We did a cross-sectional study of culture-confirmed bloodstream infections among neonates (aged 0-27 days) at six lower-tier hospitals in South Africa.