ABSTRACT
A nationwide survey was conducted to investigate the annual occurrence rate of neonatal sepsis, maternal risk factor in neonatal sepsis, localized infection in neonate, causative organism in nosocomial infection and the most common causative organism in neonatal sepsis in Korea. Clinical and bacteriological data were collected from thirty seven neonatal units through retrospective review of the medical records of the newborn infants who were confirmed as neonatal sepsis by isolating organisms from blood culture during one year study period from January to December in 1997. 78,463 neonates were born at 37 hospital in 1997 and 20,869 neonates were admitted to the neonatal units. During this period, 772 episodes of neonatal sepsis were recorded in 517 neonates. The occurrence rate of neonatal sepsis was 0.73%(0~2.95%). Male to female ratio was 1.15:1 and 303 cases(42.1%) were born prematurely. The main pathogens of early onset sepsis were S. aureus(20%), S. epidermidis(14.4%) and coagulase negative Staphylococcus( 14.4%). Gram negative bacilli including Enterobacter spp (7.2%), E.coli(5.1%), Klepsiella(4.5%), Pseudomonas(3.7%) Enterobacter faecium(3.6%) constitute 24.1%. Only two cases of group B beta-hemolytic Streptococcus were isolated. Common obstetric factors were PROM(21.1%), difficulty delivery(18.7%), fetal tachycardia(5.3%), chorioamnionitis(4.9%), maternal fever(4.7%). The main pathogens of late-onset sepsis were S. aureus(22.3%), S. epidermidis(20.4%) and CONS(9.9%). There were 6 cases (1.0%) of Candida sepsis. Frequent focal infections accompanying sepsis were pneumonia(26.1%), urinary tract infection(10.5%), meningitis(8.2%), and arthritis(3.6%). S. epidermidis(22.0%) and S. aureus(21.7%) were also the most common pathogens in 373 nosocomial infection.