Mysterious cot deaths can be caused by infections

Specific cases of cot death may be caused by a bacterial infection, researchers say.

The Archives of Disease in Childhood study found samples from babies who had died for no apparent reason often carried potentially-harmful bacteria. Some experts believe toxins produced by these bacteria could trigger a chemical storm, which overwhelms the baby, resulting in sudden death.

There are around 250 sudden infant deaths a year in the UK. The majority are never fully explained.

Professor George Haycock, scientific advisor to the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths, said: "The suggestion that infectious organisms such as S. aureus and E. coli play a part in a proportion of sudden infant deaths provides us with another important piece of the SIDS puzzle. It is important to recognise that both S. aureus and E coli are ubiquitous organisms carried by most, if not all, of the healthy adult population and that colonisation of infants does not imply lack of hygiene or normal care, but is bound to happen in a proportion of individuals."