The Bacterial Profile Of Neonatal Septicaemia In A Rural Hospital In South India

Introduction: Neonatal sepsis is the most common cause for neonatal deaths in the NICU. Newborn blood culture and sensitivity testing are important tools in the diagnosis of neonatal sepsis and in the institution of early antibiotic treatment. Material and Methods: This study was conducted by analyzing the blood cultures and the sensitivity reports of 100 newborns who were admitted to the NICU over a period preceding one year. Results: Of the 100 newborns, 32 (32%) showed positive blood culture reports. Out of the 32 positive blood cultures, 19 (59.4%) showed positivity for Coagulase negative Staphylococcus, 7 (21.9%) showed positivity for Staphylococcus aureus, 3 (9.4%) showed positivity for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 1 (3.1%) showed positivity for Enterococci, 1 (3.1%) showed positivity for Micrococci and 1 (3.1%) showed positivity for Flavobacteria. Overall, most of the neonatal sepsis was caused by Coagulase negative staphylococcus. The sensitivity pattern of the first line of antibiotics was as follows; out of the 19 Coagulase negative staphylococcus strains, 13 (68.42%) showed sensitivity to amikacin and ciprofloxacin, 15 (78.95%) to sparfloxacin, 9 (47.37%) to erythromycin, 10 (52.63%) to azithromycin, 12 (63.16%) to gentamicin and cephalexin and 5 (26.32%) to penicillin. Out of the 7 Staphylococcus aureus strains, 6 (85.71%) showed sensitivity to amikacin, 5 (71.43%) to erythromycin, 4 (57.14%) to sparfloxacin and ciprofloxacin, 3 (42.86%) to azithromycin and cephalexin and 1 (14.29%) to penicillin and gentamicin. Out of the 3 Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains, 2 (66.7%) were sensitive to ciprofloxacin and amikacin and 1 (33.3%) was sensitive to to sparfloxacin, azithromycin and gentamicin. Enterococci showed sensitivity to sparfloxacin, cephalexin, and ciprofloxacin. Flavobacteria showed sensitivity to gentamicin, erythromycin, ciprofloxacin, sparfloxacin and amikacin. Their resistance patterns were also studied. Conclusion: Coagulase negative staphylococcus is the most common cause for neonatal sepsis in the NICU. Most of the organisms were sensitive to Amikacin.