TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Bacteria, SIDS May Be Linked

ADVERTISEMENT

The Associated Press

Published: May 30, 2008

LONDON - A baffling phenomenon known as sudden infant death syndrome is one of the leading causes of death for children younger than 1. Now, British researchers say they may have found a contributing factor: bacteria.

They found potentially dangerous bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli in nearly half of all babies who died suddenly and without explanation over a decade at a London hospital. Their findings are in the current Lancet medical journal.

"This may be another piece to the puzzle," said Marian Willinger, a SIDS expert at the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development who was not connected to the British study.

The researchers cautioned, however, that although the bacteria were found in the SIDS babies, that does not necessarily mean the bugs were responsible.

Bacterial infections, however, have long been suspected by some doctors to play a role in SIDS.

"We don't know whether it's a cause or if it's identifying another potential risk factor," said Nigel Klein, one of the paper's authors and a professor at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, where the study was conducted.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT