ABSTRACT
To study the distribution of bacterial agents in bloodstream infections among hospitalized patients in the neonatal intensive care unit [NICU]. From March 2003 to February 2004, 1341 blood samples were taken from hospitalized infants in NICU of Imam Reza Hospital in Mashhad north east of Iran. In this study, 6 ml of blood was extracted from the patients having septicemia, which was then added to the bottle containing the blood culture broth. The bottles were labeled and incubated at 35 degrees celcius for maximum of 7 days. The result shows that out of the 202 patients with positive blood cultures 109 had gram positive organisms while 93 had gram negative organisms. In those with gram-positive bacteria, 73 cases were acquired infection and 36 cases were nosocomial infection. These results for gram negative bacteria showed that 51 cases were due to acquired infection and 42 cases due to nosocomial infection. In determining the relation between the rate of death and the type of infection, we found that out of 202 patients 83 [41%] died. Of these cases 48 [39%] were due to acquired infection and 35 [45%] were due to nosocomial infection. We conclude that nosocomial bloodstream infection is an important target for the most aggressive strategies for prevention and control