Features of Microbiota in Newborns in Critical Condition at Admission to the Intensive Care Unit of a Specialized Hospital

Abstract

Clarification of etiology and identification of infectious agents in critically ill newborns is a very urgent problem of neonatal resuscitation.The objective. To study the characteristics of microbiota in critically ill newborns at admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) of a specialized hospital.Subjects and Methods. 165 critically ill newborns were examined, and bacteriological tests of blood, feces, and saliva were performed.Results. Positive culture results were obtained in 40 (24%) patients. The most frequent causative agent was S. epidermidis (47.5%). The detection rate of E. faecalis amounted to 15%, S. haemolyticus ‒ 15%, C. albicans – 12.5%, and K. pneumoniae ‒ 10%. Microorganisms were isolated from feces in 70% of cases, from the oral cavity in 62.5%, and from blood in 12.5%. E. faecalis was equally frequent at all three sites (5%).Conclusion. In 76% of patients, no neonatal infectious agent was isolated at admission to ICU of a specialized hospital that is most likely associated with the early administration of antibacterial drugs in the first hours of life of the newborn.

Keywords

• newborns
• infections of the neonatal period
• critical state
• antibiotic therapy
• neonatal intensive care unit