Sudden Infant Death Linked to Bacteria

Some cases of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome may be caused by staph and E. coli infections, a new study finds. British researchers saw significant levels of both bacteria in 470 of 546 SIDS victims ranging in age from 7 days to one year. But scientists don't yet know what the findings mean for medical care. Some 2,500 infants die of SIDS each year in the US.

"This still falls under the category of preliminary research and doesn't have any direct application to how we think about patient care," said a co-author of the study, published in the Lancet. "At present, a causal link has not been established." (More Sudden Infant Death Syndrome stories.)