ABSTRACT
Background: Puerperal sepsis is the second most frequent cause of maternal morbidity and mortality in resource limited settings and often occurs within the first 42 days after childbirth. Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of septicemia, its bacterial isolates, drug susceptibility patterns and associated factors among sepsis suspected women attending delivery at a referral hospital in Ethiopia. Method: A cross sectional study was conducted with a sample size of 441 women in the age group 15-49 years at Dilchora hospital, Dire Dawa, Eastern Ethiopia from May 1 to July 30, 2016. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected using structured interview questionnaires. Blood was collected aseptically and inoculated into a broth medium and cultured aerobically for 48 hours. Antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of isolated bacteria was determined by Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16. Binary logistic regression was used to test for association. Significant variables were further adjusted using multivariate analysis. Result: The prevalence of septicemia was 12.9% of suspected cases and coagulase negative staphylococcus was found to be the most frequent isolate (28.1%) followed by E. coli (22.8%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (10.5%) and Proteus spp (3.5%). Multiple vaginal examinations and multiple pregnancies were associated with the occurrence of sepsis. Conclusion: The prevalence of septicemia was 12.9%. Coagulase negative staphylococci and E. coli were the predominant bacteria isolated. Most of bacterial isolates were resistant against commonly used antibiotics such as ampicillin, amoxicillin and tetracycline