The prevalence of sepsis in neonates caused by multidrug resistant bacteria

The spectrum of organisms that cause neonatal sepsis changes over time and varies from region to region. It can even vary from hospital to hospital in the same city. This is due to the changing pattern of antibiotic use and changes in lifestyle. Gram negative organisms were the most common cause of neonatal sepsis in Europe and America in the 1960s. A prospective hospital based study over a period of one year was carried out at neonatal intensive care unit of our hospital, a tertiary care centre. At least 20% deliveries require nursery admission. All neonates born at the hospital and presenting with signs and symptoms of sepsis or born to mothers with potential risk factors for sepsis were investigated for sepsis. All the neonates diagnosed to have culture positive sepsis or clinical sepsis with multidrug resistant organisms were included as study cases. The most common organism was CONS accounting for 32.79% followed by Klebsiella species (16.39%) Staph aureus (14.75%). All the CONS positive cultures were non MDR (100%). Whereas 70% of the Klebsiella species and 100% of the Staph species were MDR.