ABSTRACT
A urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common bacterial infections diagnosed in childhood. This condition should be given strong consideration in the differential list when evaluating the febrile, ill neonate. Numerous factors seem to predispose the child's urinary tract to infection. Most pathogenic bacteria that cause UTIs arise from a reservoir in the intestinal tract. Perhaps the most significant predictor of a bacteria's uropathic potential is its ability to adhere to the epithelial membrane where they cause infection-in the urinary tract, the urothelium. In neonates, the most common clinical presentation varies and is less classical than in older children and adults. Clinical manifestations of neonatal UTI can be similar to clinical signs of neonatal sepsis, although digestive symptoms have been reported to be more frequent in newborn infants. Breastfeeding may have a protective role in preventing UTI in premature infants and should be encouraged.
