Pattern of Microbial Infections during the First 72 Hours of Neonate Life at Khafji General Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Neonatal infection is an important cause of morbidity and mortality of neonates. The objective of this study is to evaluate the pattern of microbial infections during the first 72 hours of neonate life at AlKhafji General Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. This is a hospital-based retrospective study design in AlKhafji General Hospital (KGH) in Khafji City, Saudi Arabia. The data was collected from sensitivity reports and results of isolated cultures of random sample of 74 infected neonates admitted to NICU. Data was analyzed by SPSS program by descriptive statistics. Among the 74 significant culture positive cases, there were 54% male and 46% female neonates. The most common microorganism isolated from neonates in NICU was Pseudomonas aeruginosa (13.5%) followed by E. coli and Enterobacter (12.1%) and (9.5%) respectively. 18.9% of the isolated bacteria were sensitive to vancomycin including Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus hominis, Enterobacter, MRSA, Enterococi, C. diff and Listeria monocytogenes. 12.2% of the isolated bacteria were sensitive to ampilcillin including Staphylococcus aureus, Acinetobacter, Enterobacter, Strep. pyogenses, Enterococi and Anaerobes. 10.8% of the isolates were sensitive to imipenem including Phenomena paucimobilis, Staphylococcus hominis, E. coli, Enterobacter, Staphylococcus sciuri and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Gram negative bacteria specifically Pseudomonas aeruginosa and E. coli are the most common causes of infection of neonates in NICU. Pathogens causing neonatal infections exhibit varying antibiotic sensitivity pattern. However, the most sensitivity recorded was for vancomycin. Additionally, the emerging multi drug resistant microorganism such as Acinetobacter in NICUs could be a health risk in future.