Bacterial spectrum of neonatal septicemia with their antibiogram with reference to various predisposing factors in a tertiary care hospital in Southern India

Background: Various factors predispose to neonatal septicemia (NS) and study of these factors and a change in bacterial spectrum and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern was noticed in this study, which will certainly help in treatment of septicemic neonates. Objective: To isolate the causative agents of NS, antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of the isolates and to analyze the various predisposing factors to NS. Materials and Methods: Study was done over a period of two years. Blood samples from 200 clinically suspected NS cases were subjected to aerobic culture and their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern was determined. History of sex, gestational age, birth weight, term or preterm, outborn, or inborn babies were taken. Results: Of 200 cases, 95 (47.5%) were blood culture positive. Of them, 64 (67.37%) were males, 64 (67.37%) were preterm, birth weight <1.5 kg were 41 (43.16%), 71.58% outborn neonates with 55.79% mortality rate. Gram-negative isolates were 67 (70.53%) and Gram-positive isolates were 28 (29.47%). Enterobacter cloacae and Staphylococcus aureus were commonest isolates in 20% and 11.58% of cases, respectively. Gram-negative isolates were sensitive to amikacin, ciprofloxacin, and ofloxacin and least sensitive to ampicillin and amoxiclav. All Gram-positive isolates were sensitive to vancomycin. Conclusion: NS was found to be 47.5% in our study. In this study, we have analyzed various predisposing factors of NS. Blood culture is the gold standard for diagnosis of NS. A change in bacterial spectrum and change in their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern was noticed in this study, which will certainly help in treating such cases.