Background: Neonatal septicemia signifies a generalized bacterial infection documented by a positive blood culture and is one of the leading causes of neonatal mortality and morbidity in India.

Aim: To isolate and identify the bacterial etiological agents responsible for neonatal sepsis and to determine their susceptibility pattern in a tertiary care hospital.

Materials and Methods: 108 blood culture positive neonatal cases admitted from 1^st December 2016 to 1^st December 2017 were included in the study.

Results: Out of a total of 108 blood culture positive cases, the majority were Gm negative bacteria comprising 75 (69.44%), Gm positive bacteria comprised 31(28.7%)  and  2(1.85%) were positive for fungal organisms (Candida other than C.albicans). Among the Gm negative organisms, most common were Enterobacter spp. comprising 44(40.74%) [Enterobacter cloacae forming 23(21.30%) and Enterobacter aerogenes forming 21(19.44%)], followed by Acinatobacter 13(12.04%), Klebsiella spp. 7(6.48%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa 6(5.56%), E.coli 2(1.85%), Burkholderia capacia 2(1.85%) and Citrobacter 1(0.93%). Among Gm positive organisms, most common was Coagulase negative Staphylococcus forming 24(22.22%) followed by Enterococcus 4(3.7%), Streptococci 2(1.85%) and Coagulase positive Staphylococcus 1(0.93%).

Conclusion: Gm negative organisms are the leading cause of neonatal sepsis in our study with most being resistant to multiple antibiotics. Enterobacter septicemia is a cause of concern with its rising incidence. A regular antibiotic surveillance is a necessity in every hospital to reduce antibiotic resistance.

Keywords: Neonatal septicemia, susceptibility, surveillance, resistance.

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Dr (Mrs.) Rinku Saini

Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatric Medicine, SMS Medical College, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India