A PROSPECTIVE STUDY ON THE PROFILE OF BACTERIAL PATHOGENS AND THEIR ANTIBIOTIC SENSITIVITY PATTERN IN NEONATAL SEPSIS AT OUR TERTIARY CENTER

Background: Neonatal sepsis in India has the highest incidence worldwide, ranging from 14.3% to 23% and is the second leading cause of mortality among newborns. This study was conducted to isolate the microorganisms causing neonatal sepsis and to determine their antibiotic sensitivity patterns. Materials and Methods: A prospective study was conducted for a period of 3 months. 100 blood cultures samples were processed from newborns admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) with signs and symptoms suggestive of neonatal sepsis. Blood collected was loaded into BacT/ALERT 3D culture system. From bottles flagged positive, gram stain was performed and sub-cultures were made onto Blood agar and MacConkey agar. Bacterial colonies were identified by gram stain, biochemical tests and the organism confirmed by VITEK 2 Compact ID cards. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of the isolates was performed using VITEK 2 Compact AST cards and the data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Conclusions were made based on the observed distribution of bacterial isolates and their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns.