Abstract :
Introduction and Objective: Blood stream infections are important causes of morbidity and mortality
in neonates and children. Blood culture remains the gold standard for their diagnosis. Emergence of
multi drug resistant bacterial strains is a major problem in the management of sepsis. The antimicrobial
susceptibility patterns help to guide the choice of empiric antimicrobial regimen for the patients with
bacteremia and septicaemia. The present study was undertaken to identify the common bacterial pathogens
associated with paediatric sepsis and to determine their antibiotic susceptibility pattern.
Material and Methods: A retrospective observational study was carried out by reviewing the records
of blood cultures received from clinically suspected paediatric patients of septicaemia between January
to December 2017 in the Department of Microbiology, G.M.E.R.S Medical College and Hospital Gotri,
Vadodara, Gujarat. 713 samples of blood cultures were received and processed during that period. The
isolates were identified by conventional biochemical tests. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed
by Modified Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method and the screened strains were further processed for
detection of Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamases (ESBL) and Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA) according to CLSI guidelines.
Results: Out of the 713 Blood cultures, 161 (22.58%) were culture positive, of which 120 (74.54%) were
Gram negative isolates and 41 (25.46%) were Gram positive. MRSA was detected in 38.46 % of the
Staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus) isolates. 54% of Klebsiella spp and 52.63 % of Escherichia coli were
found to be ESBL producers.
Conclusion: High rates of isolation of MRSA and ESBL stresses on the need for a continued screening and
surveillance for antibiotic resistance in Paediatric Care Units, which will influence the appropriate empiric
treatment and infection control strategies for prevention of septicaemia in paediatric patients.
Keyword :
Antibiotic susceptibility tests, Blood culture, Bacterial profile, ESBL, MRSA, Paediatric, Septicaemia.