Characterization of Bacterial Isolates from Various Types of Neonatal Sepsis Cases along with Their Antibiogram Profiling

Abstract BACKGROUND: Neonatal sepsis is one of the most common causes of mortality in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). There are regional differences in the range of pathogens that cause newborn sepsis within developing nations. In order to effectively treat neonatal sepsis, one must be aware of the bacterial agents and their pattern of antibiotic susceptibility. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional observational study in which samples were collected from the NICU of a tertiary care hospital in Dhaka City, Bangladesh, between the periods of February 2023 to December 2023. RESULTS: The study showed that among the 100 neonates, 52% were positive culture while 48% were negative. Male neonates were higher in ratio than female neonates, while the result was vice versa for the negative group. Both preterm (Group 1) and term (Group 2) neonates were infected mostly by Gram-negative Acinetobacter spp. and Pseudomonas spp. Highest susceptibility of the bacterial isolates was observed against Colistin, Klarcid, Tigecyclin, Kacin, Tazocilin, and Vancomycin. However, antibiotic Polymixin B was not an appropriate choice for both groups of neonates as the organisms showed the highest resistance pattern against this antibiotic. CONCLUSION: The study found that a significant portion of the bacterial isolates causing neonatal sepsis was found to be multidrug-resistant, showing the need for developing a proper antibiotic prescribing policy and its effective implementation could be a milestone for bringing a revolution in combatting the field of antibiotic resistance.