NEONATAL SEPTICEMIA AT A TERTIARY HOSPITAL IN SOUTHEAST NIGERIA: BACTERIOLOGICAL PROFILE AND ANTIBIOTIC SENSITIVITY PATTERN
Formerly Published in Vol. 14 No. 3 Jul. - Dec., 2026
Keywords:
Neonatal sepsis, Septicemia, Newborn;, Antibiotic susceptibility, NigeriaAbstract
Background: Infectious diseases such as septicemia account for a substantial proportion of neonatal deaths in Nigeria. Regular bacteriological surveillance in neonatal units is therefore essential to guide empirical antibiotic therapy.
Objective: To determine the prevailing bacterial pathogens causing neonatal sepsis in the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu, and to assess their antibiotic susceptibility patterns.
Methodology: A prospective study was conducted over an 18- onth period involving 112neonates with clinical features suggestive of sepsis. Blood samples were obtained for bacteriological culture and antibiotic susceptibility testing using standard microbiological methods.
Results: Bacterial isolates were recovered from 28 (25.0%) neonates. Of these, 50.0% were Gram-positive organisms and 50.0% were Gram-negative, with no mixed growths identified. Staphylococcus aureus was the most frequently isolated pathogen (42.9%), followed bycoliform bacilli (32.1%) and Escherichia coli (14.3%). Other isolates included Streptococcus pyogenes (7.1%) and Klebsiella species (3.6%). Overall susceptibility to at least one penicilliAdimora et al., Neonatal Septicemia was observed in 39.3% of isolates, while only 14.3% were susceptible to a combination of penicillin andgentamicin. In contrast, susceptibility to at least one third-generation cephalosporin and quinolone was 78.6% and 100.0%, respectively. Ceftriaxone and ciprofloxacin demonstrated effectiveness against 64.3% and 82.1% of isolates, respectively.
Conclusion: This study demonstrates a shift in the predominant Gram-negative bacterial pathogens compared with previous reports from our unit, alongside a concerning decline in susceptibility to commonly used first-line antibiotics. Continuous surveillance and periodic review of empirical antibiotic protocols are recommended.
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