Late-onset sepsis (LOS)

Late-onset sepsis (LOS) is a subtype of sepsis that occurs after the first 72 hours of life. It is a significant healthcare-associated complication following preterm birth, impacting up to 50% of highly vulnerable infants who have a birth weight of less than 1,500 grams. These infants are referred to as very-low-birth-weight infants (VLBWIs) and are particularly susceptible during their initial hospital stay (1).

In high-income countries, the case-fatality rate for LOS is between 10% and 15%, and this rate is largely influenced by the specific pathogen involved (2, 3, 4, 5).

References:

(1) Waschina et al. 2025 Cell Reports 44: 11116431
(2) Giannoni et al. 2018 J Pediatr 201: 106-114
(3) Flannery et al. 2022 Pediatr Res 91: 380-391
(4) Greenberg et al. 2017 Pediatr Infect Dis J 36: 774-779
(5) Härtel et…