CHANGING TRENDS OF BACTERIAL RESISTANCE PATTERNS IN NEONATAL SEPSIS CASES IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

ABSTRACTBackground Neonatal sepsis is one of the most important cause of neonatal deaths in the country. If diagnosed early and treated appropriately with antibiotics, it is possible to save most cases of neonatal sepsis. Therefore the purpose of this study is to analyze data on septicaemia in neonates, the pathogen involved and their changing resistance patterns.Methods A comparative study was done by comparing the positive blood culture reports of neonatal sepsis cases admitted in department of neonatology during the period January 2010 to December 2010, with the reports during the period January 2011 to December 2011.Results Resistance patterns of gram positive isolates showed a significant increase to amoxicillin, cephalexin, and ciprofloxacin. There was a significant increase in resistance of gram negative organisms to ceftazidime. Klebsiella showed a marked increase in resistance to ciprofloxacin. Gram negative organisms except Klebsiella showed a significant increase in resistance to gentamicin, whereas there was no change in resistance pattern to amikacin. Conclusion The results of the study showed an increase in resistance to commonly used antibiotics like amoxicillin, cephalexin, ceftazidime, gentamycin and ciprofloxacin while the sensitivity to amikacin is retained.