Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern of Bacteria Isolates in Neonates at a Children Hospital, Nigeria

Blood-stream infection is one of the leading causes of neonatal mortality. Neonatal septicemia is a common complication for neonates in neonatal intensive care unit around the world. The aim of this study was to isolate and identify the bacteria responsible for neonatal septicemia and to determine the susceptibility pattern of isolates in Outreach Children’s hospital in Festac town, south-western Nigeria. 432 blood samples were collected for this study. The samples were processed in accordance with standard protocols. Antibiotic susceptibility of isolates was done by disc diffusion technique according to British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. Blood culture reports were positive in 22.2% cases. Early-onset sepsis was present in 65.6% and late-onset sepsis was observed in 34.4% of the cases. The most common isolates were Klebsiella spp 34.3% and S.aureus 28.1%. Gram-negative isolates were mostly susceptible to ofloxacin 90%, followed by ciprofloxacin 65%. Best overall susceptible antibiotics among Gram-positive isolates were ciprofloxacin 83.3% and ceftazidine 83.3%. In conclusion, this present study showed that both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria were responsible for neonatal septicaemia and the majority of the isolates were multidrug resistant. This urges us to take infection prevention measures and to conduct other large studies for appropriate empiric antibiotic choice.