Early-onset neonatal sepsis (EOS) is a major global public health challenge. Prevention during pregnancy and delivery, early diagnosis and treatment of perinatal infections are essential to avoid EOS. Risk factors for include prematurity, maternal Group B streptococcus (GBS) colonization, premature rupture of membranes (PROM), and chorioamnionitis. Screening and intrapartum antimicrobial prophylaxis administered to GBS-colonized women has reduced early onset GBS infections. However, other pathogens are frequently involved in EOS following preterm PROM and preterm birth (PTB), such as Gram-negative bacteria and Staphylococci, which are not covered by penicillin prophylaxis. The prevalence of neonatal infection arising from antibiotic-resistant bacteria is increasing, thus the challenge is to eliminate the widespread unnecessary use of broad-spectrum antibiotics to treat non-infected infants, while recognizing when antibiotics are truly needed. Rapid diagnostic test(s) to detect and quantify specifically pathogens in vaginal samples, could be a major breakthrough. Several rT- PCR ( reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction) tests are on the market, however so far no test is able to detect, quantify and characterize in terms of antibiotic resistance and virulence genes, a range of pathogens.