title: Neonatal sepsis: Staphylococcus aureus as the predominant pathogen.
abstract: 96 consecutive inborn neonates with blood culture proven bacterial sepsis during the period January to June 1997 were studied. Lethargy with refusal of feeds (28%), fever (28%) and respiratory distress (31.3%) were the major presenting features. Half of them (n = 48) were of early onset (< 48 hours) and the remaining half were of late onset (> 48 hours). Staphylococcus aureus (n = 59, 61.5%) was the predominant pathogen and 66% of them were methicillin resistant followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 24, 21.9), Escherichia coli (n = 13, 13.5%) and streptococci (n = 3, 3.1%). Antibiotic resistance was common, with the sensitivity to various antibiotics being ampicillin 19%, gentamicin 21.6%, cefotaxime 32.8%, amikacin 50%, chloromycetin 59.6% and ciprofloxacin 90.3%.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Government Kasturiba Gandhi Hospital for Women and Children, Chennai-600 005, India. gengaimuthukarthikeyan@yahoo.com
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Karthikeyan
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Premkumar
mesh_terms: D016470:Bacteremia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000401:mortality; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus