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Sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) includes both deaths for which a cause is discovered at autopsy and those that remain unexplained (i.e., SIDS). Occult infection could contribute to some unexplained deaths, but the extent of this contribution is unknown.
In a review of autopsy results from a single center, researchers examined data on 546 SUDI cases in southern England. Thirty-nine cases that involved nonbacterial infection or secondary bacterial infection after initial collapse and resuscitation were excluded. Seventy-two deaths had noninfective causes, 56 were explained by focal bacterial infections, and 379 were unexplained. Bacteriologic investigations, with culture specimens taken from various sites, were done in 470 cases; mos…