ANTIBIOTIC SUSCEPTIBILITY PATTERNS OF MICROBIAL ISOLATES FROM BLOOD CULTURE IN THE NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT OF HAMAD MEDICAL CORPORATION (HMC) DOHA, QATAR
Introduciton: Neonatal sepsis is the leading cause of death in neonatal ICUs of hospitals. Because of wide use of broad spectrum antibiotics bacterial resistance pattern gets change from time to time. This study was aimed identify antibiotic susceptibility pattern of bacteria causing sepsis in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) Qatar. Methodology The study was retrospective and data of the study population was collected from the unit sepsis workup log book, patients' medical records etc. Data was analysed by using SPSS 18.0 version. Result Out of 2,851 blood culture sent to the laboratory 302 were positive. These cultures were obtained from 176 neonates resulting in sepsis incidence rates of 6.4 cases per 1,000 live births and case fatality rates of 17% All gram negative bacilli were sensitive to amikacin and meropenem and to a lesser extend to cefotaxime and gentamicin. Twenty one percent of gram negative bacilli were multidrug resistant. All fungi isolated were Candida spp. almost all of them were sensitive to flucytosine and to a lesser extend to caspofungin, amphotericin B, and fluconazole. Overall 21% of fungi expressed resistance to antifungal agents commonly used in neonates (fluconazole, amphotericin B, and caspofungin) Conclusion: Our study shows that the current patterns of isolates and their susceptibility data should be considered while developing empiric treatment protocols. Our experience showed high incidence rates of fungal sepsis and high risk of fungal sepsis associated mortality in neonates. On going susceptibility studies in addition to good infection control practices and sensible antibiotics use will decrease the rates of sepsis, guarantee success of sepsis management and maintain the potency of available antibiotics.