Prevalence of different bacterial isolates in neonatal septicaemia in a tertiary care hospital

Introduction: Neonatal septicemia is the commonest cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity. To reduce the mortality caused by Neonatal septicemia, it becomes essential to diagnose it as soon as possible and treat with administration of appropriate antibiotics. Material and methods: The study was done on neonates coming to Patna Medical College and Hospital, Patna. About 100 neonates were screened in the study for a time period of 6 months. Results: Out of 100 clinically suspected cases of neonatal septicaemia 68 (68%) were blood culture positive and 32 (32%) were blood culture negative. The commonest organism isolated was Escherichia coli (26.47%), followed by Klebsiella spp (23.52%). Among Gram positive organisms Staphylococcus aureus (19.11%) was the commonest isolate followed by CONS with 14.70% cases. Positive blood culture is the gold standard for the diagnosis of septicaemia. Conclusion: Neonatal septicaemia is more common in males, low birth weight and preterm neonates. A positive blood culture is the only definitive method of confirming a case of septicaemia which helps in prompt and timely administration of antibiotics which could be life saving.