Global Pediatric Health (Oct 2020)

Bacterial Isolates and Resistance Patterns in Preterm Infants with Sepsis in Selected Hospitals in Ethiopia: A Longitudinal Observational Study

  • Beza Eshetu MD,
  • Mulatu Gashaw MSc,
  • Semaria Solomon MSc,
  • Melkamu Berhane MD,
  • Kassie Molla BSc,
  • Tamrat Abebe PhD,
  • Solomon Gizaw MSc,
  • Alemseged Abdissa PhD,
  • Mahlet Abayneh MD,
  • Robert L. Goldenberg MD, PhD,
  • Zemene Tigabu MD,
  • Amha Mekasha MD,
  • Bogale Worku MD,
  • Elizabeth M. McClure PhD,
  • Assaye K. Nigusse MD,
  • Lulu M. Muhe MD, PhD

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/2333794X20953318
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 7

Abstract

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Background: Neonatal sepsis is the third leading cause of neonatal mortality, behind prematurity and intrapartum-related complications. The main objectives of this study are to assess the proportion of sepsis in preterm newborns and identify the etiologic agents and their antibiotic sensitivity patterns. Methods: A longitudinal observational study was done from July 2016 to May 2018. Whenever clinical diagnosis of sepsis was made, blood cultures and antibiotic susceptibility tests were done. Result: We did 690 blood cultures, 255 (36.9%) showing bacterial growth. The most commonly isolated bacteria were Klebsiella species 78 (36.6%), Coagulase negative Staphylococcus 42 (19.7%) and Staphylococcus aureus 39 (18.3%). Gram-positive bacteria showed high resistance to penicillin (98.9%) and ceftriaxone (91.3%) whereas Gram-negative bacteria were highly resistant to gentamicin (83.2%) and ceftriaxone (83.2%). Conclusion: Resistance to the more commonly used antibiotics such as ampicillin and gentamycin was very high, necessitating reconsideration of the empiric use of these antibiotics.