Etiologic agents of bacteremia among newborns in hilla city

Abstract EN

A prospective study was carried out on 304 cases of bacteremia in newborn less than one year of age with fever.

Cases of gastroenteritis, respiratory tract infections, and suspected sepsis in children seen or admitted to the Babylon Maternity and Children Hospital in Babylon Province-pediatric wards were studied from October / 2007 to March / 2008.

Clinical and microbiological data were recorded in a questionnaire or obtained from patient medical records.

Most of the newborn with bacteremia (78%) were less than 12 months old.

After culturing the blood samples the results indicated that 240(78%) blood samples revealed positive cultures consisting of 166 (69.2%) Gram-positive bacteria isolates and 74 (30.8 %) Gram-negative isolates, represented by Streptococcus pneumoniae consist of 36.7%, Staphylococcus aureus accounted for 18.1%, Viridians streptococci 14.5%, Staphylococcus epidermidis 13.3%, Streptococcus spp.

7.2%, Bacillus spp.

6% and Clostridium spp.

4.2% and Gram negative bacteremia causes represented by E.

coli 40.5%, Pseudomonas aeruginosa 20.3%, Salmonella typhi 16.2%, Acinobacter 5.4%, Proteus vulgaris 2.8%, Haemophilus influenzae 4% and Klebsiella pneumoniae 10.8%, major infections of bacteremia in Newborns was in age between 1-8 months, consisting of 77%.

The rate of infection in newborns living in rural area was found to be (62.1%) while it was (37.9%) in urban newborns.

The rate of infection with bacteremia in newborns feeding on breast was found to be (25.4%) while it was (74.6%) in newborn whom artificial feeding newborns.