A retrospective survey has been conducted in the Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICUs) affiliated to the Groupe Francophone d'Urgence et de Réanimation Pédiatrique over two years (1999 and 2000). The purpose was to determine the number of children aged from 10 days to 18 years who died from community acquired bacterial infections and to compare the data to those obtained from official surveys (statistics of death from the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale) and from the Institut National de Veille Sanitaire as well as from punctual studies. Thirty two (60%) PICUs have participated and 100 cases of children without known risk factors, dead from community acquired documented bacterial infection have been considered for analysis (36 in 1999, 54 in 2000). Infants aged between 10 days and 2 months represent 1/3 of the fatalities. Neisseria meningitidis is the first pathogen responsible for death (34% including 10 not documented cases of purpura fulminans). B group is predominant (14/24) compared to the C group (6 cases). A lethal infection due to W135 group occurred in 2 infants in 2000. Streptococcus pneumoniae is the second pathogen responsible for death (28%). None of the cases were due to antibiotic resistant pneumococcus. Bordetella pertussis is surprisingly the third pathogen responsible for death (13%), all of them being younger than 2 months. Pertussis is the first cause of death in infants aged 10 days-2 months. An important increase was observed between 1999 (3 cases) and 2000 (10 cases). Meningitis is the first disease responsible for death (42%): 26 are related to pneumococcus, 5 to meningococcus and 6 to group B streptococcus. Purpura fulminans is the second cause (30%), due mainly to group B meningococcus (11 cases). Group C meningococcus accounts for 6 cases only. One case is related to pneumococcus. Lung infections are a rare cause of death (5 cases) and particularly staphylococcal pleuro pneumonia seems to be no longer a significative cause of fatality. Toxic shock syndrome is an emergent disease responsible for 5 death (2 staphylococcal, 3 streptococcal). These data fit with those provided by the Institut National de Veille Sanitaire with respect to meningococcal infections and the Renacoq network with respect to pertussis, as well as the data provided by a previous GPIP survey on pneumococcal meningitis. However, the data provided by INSERM seem not to be relevant. In spite of the bias due to a retrospective study and the lack of exhaustivity, this survey provides data which could help decision making with respect to new vaccines against pneumococcus.