ABSTRACT
Blood cultures remain the gold standard for diagnosing neonatal sepsis, in spite of being positive in a minority of cases with suspected sepsis, especially EOS. False negative blood cultures may occur as a result of small volumes of blood obtained, low levels of bacteraemia, use of prior (intrapartum) antibiotics or fastidious bacteria, fungi or viruses. In an era of increasing antibiotic stewardship, improved diagnostic reliability is essential for limiting antibiotic usage. PCR-based techniques have the potential to improve diagnostic reliability. Molecular diagnostic methods are capable of detecting a large number of pathogens in samples from neonates with suspected sepsis. False positive results can have significant implications for clinical practice as well as research. Therefore strict procedures for sample collection and processing to avoid contamination need to be applied, as well as cautious interpretation of results particularly when organisms associated with skin or environmental contamination are detected.
