(September 11, 2008 - Insidermedicine) An infection with staphylococcus aureus may be implicated in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), according to research published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

Here are some ways to minimize your baby's risk of succumbing to SIDS:

•    Place your baby to sleep on his or her back, but do not worry if she turns onto her stomach by herself.

•    Make sure no one ever smokes around your baby.

•    An ideal temperature for a baby's sleeping room is around 18 to 19 degrees Celsius.

An Australian researcher examined post mortem information on 130 babies who had died of SIDS, 32 who had died of an infection, and 33 who had died from a non-infectious cause, such as a traffic accident. He analyzed samples taken from parts of the babies' bodies that are normally sterile, such as the heart blood, spleen, and cerebrospinal fluid.

Almost 20% of the babies who died of an infection had a sterile site infection, as did 10% of the SIDS babies, with S. aureus as the culprit organism. However, infection at a sterile site was rare among infants who had died of non-infectious causes.

Today's research suggests that at least some of the babies believed to have died of SIDS may have succumbed to an infection with S. aureus. Bacteria of this type are believed to release toxins that stimulate a chemical storm in the body that can overwhelm a baby's immature immune system.

For Insidermedicine in 60, I'm Dr. Susan Sharma.