Neonatal infections are a major cause of mortality in low- and middle-income countries. They often occur during the first days of life, after newborns have left the maternity facility, and can progress rapidly despite initially subtle symptoms. Identifying at-risk infants before discharge is therefore a public health priority.
This pilot project aims to explore early infection biomarkers in umbilical cord blood and neonatal saliva, collected without direct blood sampling from newborns. It combines three untargeted approaches—proteomics, transcriptomics and metabolomics—to identify complementary molecular signatures. It will also examine differences in baseline biomarker profiles according to birth weight and assess the influence of early feeding on saliva composition.
