title: Culture-proven early-onset neonatal sepsis in Arab states in the Gulf region: two-year prospective study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the incidence and the pattern of causative organisms of culture-proven early-onset sepsis (EOS) in Arab states in the Gulf region.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five neonatal care units participated in this 2-year prospective study in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. Data were collected prospectively using a standardized data collection form. EOS was defined as the growth of a single potentially pathogenic organism from blood or cerebrospinal fluid in infants within 72h of birth, with clinical and laboratory findings consistent with infection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 67 474 live births, 102 cases of EOS occurred. The overall incidence of EOS was 1.5 (95% confidence interval 1.2-1.8) per 1000 live-births, ranging from 2.64 per 1000 live-births in Kuwait to 0.40 per 1000 live-births in King Abdulaziz Hospital in Saudi Arabia. The most common causative organism of EOS was group B Streptococcus (GBS; 60.0%), followed by Escherichia coli (13%). The incidence of invasive GBS disease was 0.90 per 1000 live-births overall and ranged from 1.4 per 1000 live-births in Kuwait to 0.6 per 1000 live-births in Dubai Hospital.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The incidence of EOS and the patterns of the causative organisms in the Arab states in the Gulf region are similar to those in developed countries before the era of intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis. Efforts should be made to improve intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis in the Arab state setting, which could avert large numbers of GBS infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, PO Box 24923, Safat, Kuwait City 13110, Kuwait. Electronic address: m.hammoud@hsc.edu.kw.
authors.forename: Majeda S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Hammoud
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine and Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Kuwait City, Kuwait.
authors.forename: Abdullah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Taiar
authors.affiliation: King Abdulaziz Hospital, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Sameer Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Al-Abdi
authors.affiliation: Maternity and Children's Hospital, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Hussain
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bozaid
authors.affiliation: Dubai Hospital, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
authors.forename: Anwar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: Dubai Hospital, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
authors.forename: Laila M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: AlMuhairi
authors.affiliation: Tawam Hospital, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates.
authors.forename: Moghis Ur
authors.initials: MU
authors.lastname: Rehman
mesh_terms: D017668:Age of Onset; D019072:Antibiotic Prophylaxis / Q000639:trends; D018912:Arabs; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D000071074:Neonatal Sepsis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D015996:Survival Rate; D014479:United Arab Emirates / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Antibiotic resistance; Early-onset sepsis; Neonatal infection; Neonatal sepsis