Incidence of blood culture-related sepsis in neonates and antibiotics sensitivity of implicated organisms in a secondary healthcare facility in Ghana.

OBJECTIVE

We determined the incidence of blood culture-related sepsis, causative bacteria, and antibiotics sensitivity among newborn babies with suggestive signs of sepsis admitted at the Upper East Regional Hospital in Bolgatanga, Ghana.

DESIGN

Prospective cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Newborn Care Unit of the Upper East Regional Hospital, Bolgatanga.

PARTICIPANTS

Neonates admitted to the Newborn Care Unit from August 2019 to August 2020 with signs of sepsis.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Organisms isolated from blood cultures and sensitivity of isolated organisms to antibiotics.

RESULTS

The study included two hundred and seventy-six (276) patients. Laboratory confirmed sepsis was 13.4% (37/276). Early onset sepsis was 3.3% (9/276), while late-onset sepsis was 10.1% (28/276). The most common clinical signs associated with positive culture cases were temperature instability (35.5%), poor feeding (14.5%), neonatal jaundice (11.3%), vomiting (9.7%), and respiratory distress (8.1%). Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis were the most common bacterial isolates (46% and 32%, respectively). There was no relationship between independent variables and blood culture confirmed sepsis. Antibiotics to which isolates were most resistant included flucloxacillin 4/4, penicillin 14/15, ampicillin 16/18, and tetracycline 23/28. Bacterial isolates were most sensitive to amikacin 16/16, levofloxacin 5/5, erythromycin 8/8, cefazolin 7/8, and ciprofloxacin 18/24.

CONCLUSION

Late-onset sepsis is a common sepsis category, and the implicated microorganisms are resistant to commonly prescribed antibiotics.

FUNDING: This work was funded by Upper East Regional Hospital, Bolgatanga.