Bacterial Profile and Antibiogram of Neonatal Sepsis in Nigeria: Literature Review

Abstract

Bacterial neonatal sepsis is one of the foremost causes of morbidity and mortality in the newborn period. Determining the causative organism and corresponding treatment with sensitive antibiotics remain the standard of care. However, this is not easily achievable in developing and resource-poor settings. This study explored the inter-regional spread of bacterial isolates and the antibiogram of neonatal sepsis in Nigeria to guide the recommendation of effective and empirical use of antibiotics. Review of the published studies on neonatal sepsis in Nigeria addressed between 2009 and 2019 as culled from Google Scholar, Cochrane and PubMed search. A total of eleven studies conducted between 2009 and 2019 were reviewed and sorted geographically into Northern, Western, Eastern and Southern regions of Nigeria. Generally, the isolated bacteria and antibiogram of the studies across the regions were similar. Klebsiella pneumonia (63.6%) and Staphylococcus aureus (63.6%) topped the prevalence table across the regions, followed by Escherichia coli (36.4%) and subsequently the Coagulase Negative Staphylococcus, Streptococcus pneumonia and Pseudomonas aueruginosa which had an equal prevalence of 27.3%. Ciprofloxacin 8+ and Ofloxacin 5+ had the highest sensitivity, followed by Ceftriaxone 4+, Gentamycin 4+ and Meronem 3+. All the organisms tested were resistant to ampicillin. The inter-regional similarity of the bacterial isolates and antibiogram is striking. This finding could be utilized in making an evidence-based decision on the choice of antibiotics in the treatment of neonatal sepsis where a local pattern is challenging to establish.

Keywords

• bacterial profile
• neonatal sepsis
• nigeria