Prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of bacteria from sepsis suspected neonates at St. Paul Hospital Millennium Medical college, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Abstract Background: Neonatal sepsis is the major cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity, especially in low and middle-income countries. Continuous monitoring of pathogens and their antibiotic susceptibility pattern is crucial for managing neonatal sepsis. This study aimed to determine neonatal sepsis due to bacteria, antibiotic resistance patterns, and patient outcomes at St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College. Method: Across sectional study was conducted on 400 neonates at St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College from March 2020 to July 2020. Socio-demographic characteristics were collected from each patient using questionnaires. About 2ml of blood was drawn aseptically and inoculated at the bedside on Tryptone Soya Broth. Bacterial identification was performed by using standard microbiological techniques. The disk diffusion method was used to determine the antibiotic susceptibility patterns of each isolated bacteria. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 software. Results: The overall prevalence of neonatal septicemia was 21% (84/400). Of this, 79.8% (67) and 20.3% (67) were gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria respectively. Klebsiella spp, 44% (37), E. coli 21.6% (19), and Coagulase negative Staphylococci 15.47% (13) were the leading cause of neonatal sepsis. Ciprofloxacin and Amikacin were the most effective antibiotics for gram-negative bacteria while Vancomycin, Clindamycin, and Ciprofloxacin were effective against gram-positive bacteria. Low birth weight and preterm were associated with neonatal septicemia (AOR= 49.90, 95%CI=15.14-123.081, P=0.002, and AOR=18.20, 95% CI=6.835-27.541, P=0.004) respectively. Conclusion: Klebsiella spp and E. coliwere frequently isolated bacteria in neonatal sepsis. The overall prevalence of MDR was significantly high, and commonly used antibiotics such as Ampicillin and Gentamicin were infective to treat neonatal sepsis. This indicates the necessity of early detection of septicemia and continuous evaluation of antibiotic resistance. A large-scale study is required to investigate the magnitude of neonatal sepsis.