Clinico Bacteriological Study on Neonatal Septicemia

Abstract

Neonatal septicemia remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the new born, more so in developing countries like India due to delivery and post natal follow up in an unclean environment having more chances of contamination with infective organisms. Infection is more common in the neonatal period than at any other time in life. 1 This is partly attributable to exposure to large number of organisms, but is also due to a relative failure of the neonatal host defenses to clear microorganisms from blood and tissues. The rate of infection and type of organism causing sepsis in a neonate vary with demography. In India, the incidence of neonatal septicemia is 10-30/1000 live births, 2 whereas in western countries it is 1-8/1000 live births. 3