Molecular epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance phenotype of paediatric bloodstream infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria.

Background: Gram-negative organisms are common causes of bloodstream infection (BSI) during the neonatal period and early childhood. Whilst several large studies have characterised these isolates in adults, equivalent data (particularly incorporating whole genome sequencing) is lacking in the paediatric population.

Methods: We perform an epidemiological and sequencing based analysis of Gram-negative bloodstream infections (327 isolates (296 successfully sequenced) from 287 patients) in children <18 years old between 2008 and 2018 in Oxfordshire, UK.