CME Journal of Medical Microbiology
ISSN: 3070-3638 | DOI: 10.64030/3070-3638
Bawlah Tahir, Amir Abdikader, Abdiwahab Hashi, Shamil Barsenga and Niman Tayib
Background: Neonatal sepsis is a systemic infection that affects newborns younger than 28 days and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, especially in the developing world. The emergence of drug resistance is also a major public health threat. Hence, continuous monitoring of pathogens and their antibiotic resistance patterns is crucial for managing neonatal sepsis.
Objectives:To determine the prevalence, causative bacterial agents, drug susceptibility patterns and associated factors of neonatal sepsis among neonates admitted to Jigjiga University Sheik Hassan Yabare Specialized Comprehensive Hospital, Jigjiga Eastern Ethiopia.
Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 330 Neonates Suspected of having sepsis at Jigjiga University Sheik Hassan Yabare Specialized Comprehensive Hospital from April 1 –September 30,2023. A structured questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic information, clinical parameters and potential risk factors from the study participants. Approximately 2 mlof blood was drawn aseptically and inoculated into Tryptone Soya Broth at the patient’sbedside. Bacterial identification was performed via standard microbiological techniques. The disk diffusion method was used to determine the antibiotic susceptibility patterns. Data entry was performed via Epi-data version 4.6, and the data were analyzed via SPSS version 25. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were carried out to assess the risk factors associated with neonatal sepsis. A p value < 0.05 at the 95% confidence interval was considered statistically significant.
Results: The overall prevalence of neonatal sepsis was 23% (95%CI: 18.5 – 27.5%). Among isolated strains, 39 (51.3%) were gram-negative. E. coli (23, 30.3%), S. aureus (20, 26.3%) and CoNS (14, 18.4%) were the leading isolates. Ciprofloxacin and amikacin were the most effective antibiotics for gram-negative bacteria. Multidrug resistance was observed in 78.9% of the bacterial isolates. Gestational age ≤37 weeks (AOR: 1.9 (1.1–3.4), p=0.02) and breastfeeding initiation (AOR:0.36 (0.16–0.81), p=0.01) were found significantly associated with neonatal sepsis.
Conclusion: E. coli and S. aureus were the dominant bacterial isolates. The prevalence ofmultidrug resistance was considerably high (78.9%). Amikacin and ciprofloxacin were the moste ffective agents against most of the isolates. Therefore, a regular review of antibiotic resistance profilesishighly recommended. Furthermore, large-scalestudies are necessary to describe each bacterial strain and to studymore risk factors.