Maternal intrapartum antibiotic use and severity of neonatal infection in Qatar: a hospital-based cohort study

To study the effect of intrapartum antibiotics on neonatal mortality and morbidity for infants with culture-proven neonatal sepsis the records were reviewed of all live born infants with culture positive neonatal septicemia admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit [NICU], Women's Hospital, Qatar between January 1st 2004 and April 30th 2005. Of 113 infants with culture-proven septicemia, 59 had received intrapartum antibiotics. Using univariate analysis, infants whose mothers had received intrapartum antibiotics were less likely to survive the septic episode [OR 0.09, 95% CL 0.11-0.75, p=0.009] and more likely to have severe septicemia [OR 4.38, 95% CI 1.74-11.02, p = 0.01] but gestational age adjusted estimates of survival and severe sepsis showed no difference between study and comparison groups. Being retrospective the study had certain limitations in variables but there is no clear evidence that intrapartum use of antibiotics plays a direct role in increasing mortality in septicemic infants

Streptococcus pneumonia serotypes in newly developed state of Qatar: consideration for conjugate vaccine

The objective of the study was to determine prevalent pneumococcal serotypes causing infections in different age groups, their susceptibility to beta-lactams and macrolides and whether these serotypes are covered by the conjugated pneumococcal vaccines. Streptococcus pneumonia strains isolated from different patients at Hamad Medical Corporation, Microbiology Laboratory between September 1999 and July 2000 were sent to Statum Serum Institute in Denmark for serotyping. The strains were tested for their susceptibility to penicillin, ceftriaxone and erythromycin by Vitek 2 machine [bioMerieux, France] at Hamad Medical Corporation, Microbiology Laboratory. Predominant serotypes in children <2 years were: 6A, 6B, 9V, 11A, 14, 19A, 19F and 23F, predominant serotypes in children between 2-7 years were: 3, 6B, 15B, 19A, 19F and 23F, while predominant serotypes in adults were: 3, 8, 9V, 14, 15B, 20 and 22F. In children less than 2 years, the 7-valent and 9-valent conjugate vaccines covered 52% of serotypes. 33% of strains were moderately resistant to penicillin, 27% showed high-level resistance to penicillin, 30% resistant to erythromycin and 2% resistant to ceftrixone. The 7-valent and 9-valent vaccines offer similar coverage of serotypes in children less than 2 years while the 11-valent vaccines offers 55% coverage. This difference is not statistically significant. Resistance to penicillin was high which leaves ceftriaxone as the drug of choice for empirical treatment of invasive pneumococcal diseases

Resistance of clinical isolates of haemophilus influenzae to ampicillin, cotrimoxazole and chloramphenicol in Muscat area, Oman

Haemophilus influenzae strains isolated from clinical specimens by the Royal Hospital Microbiology Laboratory and Sultan Qaboos University Hospital Microbiology Laboratory in Oman, between September 1990 and September 1991, were analysed for their susceptibility to ampicillin, chloramphenicol and cotrimoxazole. Of 577 strains 191 [33.01%] were resistant to ampicillin; of 503, 106 [20.83%] were resistant to cotrimoxazole, and of 277, 13 [5.68%] were resistant to chloramphenicol