BACTERIOLOGICAL PROFILE OF CLINICALLY SUSPECTED SEPTICEMIA AMONG NEONATES AND THE ANTIBIOTIC SUSCEPTIBILITY PATTERN OF THEIR ISOLATES: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL OF JHARKHAND

Objectives: Neonatal septicemia is a generalized bacterial infection that occurs during the first 4 weeks of life and is one of the four primary causes of neonatal mortality and morbidity in India. This study aims to determine the bacteriological profile and antibiotic sensitivity patterns of isolates from blood cultures of suspected septicemic neonates in a tertiary care hospital. Methods: Two hundred and twenty-eight blood samples were collected and processed from patients in accordance with standard protocol. The antibiotic susceptibility of the isolates was determined by the disk diffusion method according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute recommendations. Results: Blood culture results were positive in 44.7% of the patients. Late-onset sepsis was present in 53.92%, and early-onset sepsis was observed in 46.08% of the cases. The best overall sensitivity among Gram-negative isolates was to Amikacin, followed by Gentamycin and Meropenem. Gram-positive isolates had sensitivity to Chloramphenicol, tetracycline, Linezolid, Tetracycline, Vancomycin, and Piperacillin. Conclusion: The most common causes of newborn sepsis in this study were Gram-negative organisms (Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, and Citrobacter freundii) and Gram-positive organisms (Staphylococcus aureus), the majority of which are antibiotic-resistant.