Neonatal septicemia: Blood culture bacterial isolates and their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern

Introduction: Neonatal septicemia is defined as “a clinical syndrome of bacteremia with systemic signs and symptoms of infection in the first four weeks of life”. Blood culture is the gold standard method for diagnosis of septicemia. Isolation of organism in blood culture and its antimicrobial sensitivity pattern carries a great role. Aim: To provide prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of bacteria isolated from suspected cases of neonatal septicemia at a tertiary care hospital, Valsad. Materials and Mathods: Retrospective study is conducted at a tertiary care hospital, Valsad from January 2017 to June 2018. Processing of blood culture samples, Isolation and identification of bacteria were done using standard microbiology techniques. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using modified Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method as per Clinical laboratory Standard Institute guideline. ATCC E. coli 25922, ATCC S. aureus 25923, ATCC P. aeruginosa 27853 were used as standard strains. Results: Out of 452 blood cultures, organisms were isolated in 127(28.09%). Commonly isolated bacteria are Coagulase Negative Staphylococci (42.52%) followed by Klebsiella spp. (18.11%), Acinetobacter spp. (15.75%), Enterococcus spp. (9.45%) and others (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Coagulase Negative Staphylococci strains have highest sensitivity to Vancomycin (100%), Linezolid (100%), Teicoplanin (100%), followed by Chloramphenicol (92.6%), Levofloxacin (90.7%), Cefoxitin (83.3%), and Tetracycline (77.8%). 16.7% isolates were Methicillin Resistant Staphylococci (MRS). Klebsiella spp. strain have highest sensitivity to Meropenem (73.9%), Imipenem (73.9%) and Amikacin (69.6%) followed by Chloramphenicol (65.2%), Tetracycline (60.9%) and Piperacillin Tazobactum (52.2%). 78.3% strains were Extended spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL) producers. Conclusion: Antimicrobial resistances are growing among bacteria and it differs according to different areas. So, proper surveillance system should be established to guide antimicrobial policy at local level.