Context:Septicemia in neonates refers to generalized bacterial infection documented by positive blood culture in the first four weeks of life and is one of the four leading causes of neonatal mortality and morbidity in India.Aim:To isolate and identify the bacterial etiologic agents responsible for neonatal sepsis and to determine the susceptibility pattern of isolates in a tertiary care hospital in North Karnataka.Materials and Methods:Six hundred eighty-three blood samples were collected and processed from patients in accordance with standard protocols. Antibiotic susceptibility of the isolates was done by disc diffusion method according to National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) recommendations.Results:Blood culture reports were positive in 19.2% cases. Among the culture positive cases, there were 65.5% males and 34.5% females. Early-onset sepsis was present in 74.8% and late-onset sepsis was observed in 25.2% of the cases. Best overall sensitivity among Gram-negative isolates was to imipenem (93%), followed by amikacin (52%) and netilmicin (41%). Gram-positive isolates had sensitivity of 91% to linezolid, 68% to tetracycline, 64% to piperacillin/tazobactam erythromycin, and 52% to ciprofloxacin.Conclusion:Gram-negative organisms (Klebsiella, Acinetobacter), coagulase-negative staphylococci, and Staphylococcus aureus are the leading cause of neonatal sepsis in this study and most of them are resistant to multiple antibiotics. Therefore the results of this study suggest that, surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in our hospital is necessary.
Citrobacter isolates resistant to multiple anti-microbial agents have emerged, including strains resistant to imipenem, making it an emerging nosocomial pathogen. Therefore, the results of this study suggest that surveillance of anti-microbial resistance in Citrobacter is necessary. Antibiotic policy should be formulated in the hospital. Depending on the antibiotic sensitivity pattern of the Citrobacter isolates, antibiotics should be used, and proper infection control measures should be strictly followed to prevent spread of this pathogen.
Background:The dengue virus causes one of the most important mosquito-borne viral diseases. Annually, it affects up to 100 million people. Detection of the secreted NS1 protein represents a new approach to the diagnosis of acute dengue infection. Platelet count is the only non-dengue parameter that can support the diagnosis of the dengue shock syndrome (DSS) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). This study was done to correlate the platelet count and dengue parameters detected by the immunochromatographic test (ICT).Materials and Methods:Serum samples collected from patients presenting with dengue-like illness and for whom an anti-dengue antibody test was requested between August 2010 and August 2012, were included in this study. A total of 520 serum samples were collected from the suspected dengue fever patients. The samples were tested for NS1 antigen, IgM, and IgG antibodies, using the ICT kit. The platelet count was recorded in dengue parameter-positive and -negative cases.Results:A total of 520 serum samples were collected from the suspected dengue fever patients. Sixty-two samples tested positive for one or more dengue-specific parameters. Out of the 62 samples, 39 (62.9%) were positive for the NS1 antigen, only seven (11.3%) were positive for IgM, and only three (4.9%) were positive for IgG. A platelet count < 1,00,000/ml was observed in 32 cases (51.6%). When the platelet count was done in 100 dengue parameter-negative fever patients (controls), thrombocytopenia was observed in 30% of the cases.Conclusion:Association of thrombocytopenia in dengue parameter-positive cases was highly significant (Z = 2.76, P = 0.006) when compared to thrombocytopenia in dengue parameter-negative patients.
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