Pattern of bacterial profile and antibiotic susceptibility among neonatal sepsis cases at Cairo University Children Hospital

OBJECTIVES: Neonatal sepsis is the third leading contributor to mortality and morbidity. Emanating resistance to antibiotics in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) is considered a major burden. In this study, we aimed to investigate the bacterial prevalence and antibiotic profile among patients admitted with sepsis in the NICU of Cairo University Children Hospital. METHODS: Neonates with suspected sepsis were evaluated for bacterial sepsis in their blood cultures. The neonates with positive bacterial blood culture were included in this study, whereas neonates with negative culture were excluded. Positive samples were sub-cultured on blood, MacConkey, and chocolate agar plates. Organisms were identified by Gram staining and biochemical reactions. Antibiotic susceptibility was assessed by the Kirby–Bauer disc diffusion method. RESULTS: Seventy blood cultures (31.7%) were bacteria-positive: 45.3% for Klebsiella, 22.7% for coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS), and for Acinetobacter (10.7%), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (9.3%), Pseudomonas (5.3%), Enterobacter (4%), and streptococci (2.7%). High resistance to all cephalosporins, B-lactamase combinations, penicillin, carbapenems, and aminoglycosides was observed. All Gram-negative Enterobacteria showed the highest sensitivity to levofloxacin, whereas Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter were highly sensitive to polymyxin B. Gram-positive samples were sensitive to vancomycin and linezolid. Streptococci were slightly sensitive to vancomycin and highly sensitive to macrolides and cefotaxime. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, Klebsiella and CoNS were the most common isolates in neonatal sepsis. The levels of multidrug-resistant strains were alarmingly high. This finding negatively affected the outcomes, prompting the need for a strict guideline for antibiotics use.