Acinetobacter sepsis in neonates.

ABSTRACT

Twenty-six neonates were diagnosed to have acinetobacter sepsis during 1986-90, representing 6.5% of all cases of bacteriologically proven sepsis. Of these 19 neonates were low birth weight (LBW) 12 were small for gestational age (SGA). Nineteen neonates had early-onset sepsis. The male to female ratio was 917. The hematological profile was suggestive of sepsis in 17 cases. All infants had clinical evidence of multi system infection. Eleven babies died; the cases-fatality rate was 42.3%. Only 15/25 culture isolates were sensitive to gentamicin and resistance to other antibiotics was even more frequent. Acinetobacter was cultured from other sites eye swabs, skin pustules and umbilical catheter tips. Environmental nursery surveillance cultures done during the study period yielded Acinetobacter once from a crib, but no cases of sepsis occurred around that time. The epidemiological features of this organism illustrate the value of vigilance and precautionary measures.