Study: Bacteria a factor in sudden infant death syndrome

Sudden infant death syndrome is one of the leading causes of death for children under age 1. British researchers say bacteria might be a contributing factor. A recent study in the medical journal The Lancet found potentially dangerous bacteria such as staphylococcus aureus and E coli in nearly half of all babies who died suddenly and unexpectedly at a London hospital between 1996 and 2005. A SIDS diagnosis means that no other cause of death can be found in an otherwise healthy infant who dies suddenly while sleeping. In the United States, SIDS kills more than 2,000 infants every year. In Britain, more than 200 children die every year of the syndrome.