Prevalence of Extended Spectrum of Β-Lactamase Producing Gram Negative Bacteria in Septicemia Neonates in Tertiary Care Hospital

Emergence of extended spectrum β lactamases (ESBLs) producing strains of gram negative bacteria, as one of the leading cause of septicemia often complicates the clinical and therapeutic outcome. The present study was undertaken to investigate the prevalence of ESBLs in bacteria isolated from neonatal septicemia cases along with their antimicrobial sensitivity pattern. Blood samples were collected from 100 suspected cases of neonatal septicemia. Apart from susceptibility testing, all the gram negative isolates were subjected to phenotypic tests for ESBL production. Amongst the positive test samples (n = 40), 25 were gram negative rods. ESBL was detected in 6 isolates. Results indicate that routine ESBL detection should be made imperative and empirical use of third generation cephalosporin must be discouraged.