epidemiologic features of early onset sepsis in neonatal ward of shabih khani hospital in kashan

background and objective: neonatal sepsis is defined as presence of clinical signs accompanied by positive blood culture in newborns less than one month of age. sepsis is a common cause of hospital admission in neonates, and it is known as one of the main causes of mortality among them, not only in developed countries but in developing ones. delay in diagnosis and appropriate antibiotic therapy would result in death. the aim of this study is to find the main pathogens of sepsis and evaluate sensitivity changes of organisms to antibiotics in comparison with the past. method: in this descriptive study, 104 (files of) neonates, admitted to the neonatal ward of shabih khani hospital, with positive blood culture over a 24-month period ( 2005-2007) were assessed. data were extracted for analysis. results: over this 24-month study on 104 neonates with sepsis, the most common organisms included flavobacterium 43.3% , pseudomonas 33.3%, coagulase negative staphylococcus 17.3%, coagulase positive staphylococcus 5.9% followed by enterobacter , e.coli, beta-haemolytic streptococcus, klebsiella, diphtheriod and lysteria. conclusion: in this study flavobacterium is found to be the most common organism for early sepsis. although infection with flavobacterium is rare, its rate of mortality is high and it is resistant to majority of common antibiotics. therefore, early diagnosis and appropriate antibiotic prescription helps reduce its complications.