Our current study is an attempt to put the well known concept of probiotics through rigorous scientific testing before it could be recommended as a prophylactic therapy against neonatal infections. The study will be conducted in India in 8,442 infants who will receive once daily dosing of probiotics for one week. They will be followed for 60 days at home. We have designed the study with enough power to detect a 20% drop in the incidence rate and plan to collect multiple other demographic data from the mothers and infants to help us discern the possible contribution of other confounding risk factors that have been implicated as cofactors in neonatal infection and death.