Background: Neonatal blood stream infections (BSI) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. It is crucial to continuously monitor the local epidemiology of neonatal BSI to detect any changes in patterns of infection and susceptibility to various antibiotics. Objectives: To examine the etiology of BSI in two neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in the Republic of Georgia, a resource-poor country, and to determine antibiotic susceptibility of the isolated organisms. Methods: A cross-sectional study of all septic infants was conducted in the NICUs of two pediatric hospitals in Tbilisi between September 2003 and September 2004. Results: A total of 200 infants with clinical signs of sepsis were admitted to two NICUs. Of these, 126 (63%) had confirmed bacteremia. The mortality rate was 34%. A total of 98 (78%) of 126 recovered isolates were Gram-negative organisms and 28 (22%) were Gram-positive. Klebsiella pneumoniae was the most common pathogen, accounting for 36 (29%) of 126 isolates, followed by Enterobacter cloacae accounting for 19 (15%) and Staphylococcus aureus accounting for 15 (12%). The Gram-negative organisms showed a high degree of resistance to commonly used antibiotics such as ampicillin and amoxicillin/clavulanate, and comparatively low resistance to amikacin, ciprofloxacin, carbapenems, and gentamicin; 40% of S. aureus isolates were methicillin-resistant (MRSA). In multivariate analysis only umbilical discharge was a significant risk factor for having a positive blood culture at admission to NICU (prevalence ratio=2.25, 95% confidence interval 1.82-2.77). Conclusions: Neonatal BSI was mainly caused by Gram-negative organisms, which are developing resistance to commonly used antibiotics. Understanding the local epidemiology of neonatal BSI can lead to the development of better medical practices, especially more appropriate choices for empiric antibiotic therapy, and may contribute to improvement of infection control practices.
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