Abstract :
Background: The objective of this study was to isolate pathogenic bacteria in neo-natal septicemia cases, and to know their antibiotic profile.
Material and Method: Under aseptic precautions, blood was drawn from 147 neonates with suspected septicemia and inoculated in BD BACTEC bottle. Isolates obtained were identified as per standard protocol and antibiotic susceptibility was done by Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method (as per CLSI guide-lines).
Results: Total number of 90 (61.2%) patients had positive blood cultures. The most common pathogens isolated were Klebsiella pneumoniae (n=49, 54.4%) followed by coagulase negative staphylococcus (CONS, n=21,23.3%) Staphylococcus aureus (n=10, 11%), Escherichia coli (n=5, 5.5%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n=1%). The Gram negative organisms showed high resistance to commonly used antibiotics and were highly sensitive to Meropenem. The Gram positive bacteria showed high resistance to Ampicillin, Erythromycin and Amoxicillin; but they were highly susceptible to Linezolid and Vancomycin.
Conclusion: As the Gram negative organisms were the most common isolates in neonatal septicemia, their resistance pattern should be considered essential for deciding the empirical treatment. Prompt treatment of neonatal sepsis with judicious use of appropriate antibiotics can minimize the morbidity and mortality, besides reducing the emergence of multi-drug resistant organisms in ICU’s.
Keyword :
Sepsis, Klebsiella, Blood Culture, Antibiotics