Neonatal septicemia isolates and resistance patterns in a tertiary care hospital of North India.

BACKGROUND Septicemia continues to be a major cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity worldwide. METHODOLOGY To know the rate of neonatal septicemia in our tertiary care centre, a retrospective analysis of 2,247 blood samples was done over a period of four years and three months (July 2003 to October 2007). RESULTS During that period, a total of 296 (13.17%) blood samples were found to be positive for bacterial isolates. Gram-negative septicemia (80.40%) was identified in more cases than Gram-positive septicemia (20.60%) with Klebsiella species 84 (28.3%) being the most common isolate. Maximum resistance among Gram-negative organisms was seen in amoxycillin/ampicillin and third-generation cephalosporins. Amikacin, cefoperazone/sulbactam and imipenem were found to be good alternative drugs. Among Gram-positive organisms, all strains were sensitive to Vancomycin. CONCLUSION Continued surveillance for various pathogens and their susceptibility profile should be done to effectively and timely treat the patients of neonatal septicaemia.