Study of the bacteriological profile of neonatal septicemia and associated risk factors

Abstract

Introduction: Neonatal sepsis is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality among the newborns in the developing countries. For the effective management of neonatal sepsis, knowledge about causative agent and antibiotic sensitivity pattern play a vital role. Present study was undertaken to analyze the various risk factors of bacterial sepsis, to isolate aerobic bacteria causing neonatal septicemia and to study the antibiogram of bacterial isolates. Material and Methods: Study was done over a period of one year. 198 clinically suspected cases of neonatal septicemia were included in the study. Detailed record of various predisposing neonatal factors were noted in a pro-forma. Blood samples from the neonates were subjected to aerobic blood cultures. The identification of the causative organism was carried out by standard identification tests and antibiotic sensitivity testing was done as per Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. Results: Of 198 neonates studied, predisposing factors for neonatal sepsis were mainly low birth-weight and preterm. Blood cultures were positive in 128(64.64%) cases. Predominant organisms isolated were Staphylococcus aureus (54.7%) and Klebsiella spp. (14.1%). Among Staphylococcus aureus, 43(61.42%) isolates were MRSA and most of them were sensitive only to vancomycin and linezolid. Most of the MSSA were sensitive to cotrimoxazole, clindamycin, ciprofloxacin, vancomycin, linezolid. Most of the Gram negative bacilli were sensitive to imipenem, piperacillin–tazobactam and amikacin. Conclusion: For the effective management of neonatal sepsis continued surveillance is mandatory for each center due to temporal changes in the causative organisms and their antibiotic susceptibility. Keywords: Bacteriological Profile, Neonatal Septicemia, Risk Factors, Antibiogram and Blood Culture.