ABSTRACT
Background and Objectives: Sepsis remains a clinical challenge in the Indian intensive care nurseries. Neonatal sepsis due to Acinetobacter species has been reported in recent years. Because of their multidrug resistance pattern, Acinetobacters pose a challenge regarding management of patients. The present study was therefore undertaken to find out the prevalence of Acinetobacter species in cases of neonatal septicemia and also to find out the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of all Acinetobacter isolates. Methods: Eighty Acinetobacter isolates from blood culture samples from neonates with signs and symptoms of septicemia were speciated by standard biochemical tests and their antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done by Kirby Bauer Disk Diffusion (KBDD) method according to CLSI guidelines. Results: Incidence of neonatal septicemia due to Acinetobacter species was 9.18% out of total blood culture positive samples and predominant species was Acinetobacter baumanii (67.5%), followed by Acinetobacter junii (20%). Acinetobacter species showed maximum susceptibility to netilmicin (86.25%), followed by imipenem (70%). Acinetobacter junii showed greater susceptibility than Acinetobacter baumanii. Conclusion: This study indicates that neonatal sepsis due to Acinetobacter species is on the rise. Acinetobacter baumanii is multiresistant type and has direct bearing on mortality, so it highlights the importance of formulating a proper antibiotic policy in every hospital in cases of neonatal sepsis. The differences in resistant patterns among isolates emphasizes the need for differentiating A. baumanii from other Acinetobacter species by special biochemical tests.