With improved obstetrical management and evidence-based use of intrapartum
antimicrobial therapy, early-onset neonatal sepsis is becoming less frequent. However, early-
onset sepsis remains one of the most common causes of neonatal morbidity and mortality in
the preterm population. The identification of neonates at risk for early-onset sepsis is
frequently based on a constellation of perinatal risk factors that are neither sensitive nor
specific. Furthermore, diagnostic tests for neonatal sepsis have a poor positive predictive …