ABSTRACT
Septicemia has been diagnosed clinically in 431 of the 10,492 neonates admitted to the Jordan University Hospital, over a six-year period,1977 to 1982. Blood cultures were positive in 242 [56.1%] of the cases. The major Isolates were Staph. spp., both coagulase positive and negative, followed by KlebsiellaEnterobacter group, E. coil, Pseudomonas spp. and Salmonella spp. In vitro, gentamicin was the most active agent and ampicillin, cephalothin and chloramphenicol were active agents against most clinical isolates. Most patients were treated with a combination of a beta-lactam antibiotic and an aminoglycoside. Mortality rate from septicemia decreased significantly from 24.8% to 13.4% with an overall mortality rate of 24.8%. It is concluded that for successful treatment of neonatal infection consideration of the common local pathogens, nosocomial organisms and their susceptibility patterns would be very helpful