Etiology of Bacterial Sepsis and Isolate Resistance Patterns in Hospitalized Neonates in Zambia.

Background: The Sepsis Prevention in Neonates in Zambia study is a prospective cohort study that evaluated an infection prevention and control (IPC) bundle in the University Teaching Hospital neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Lusaka, Zambia. We present here the etiologies, antimicrobial resistance profiles, and associated mortality of bloodstream infections (BSI) in this cohort.

Methods: Venous blood was collected from neonates with clinically suspected sepsis and cultured with an automated blood culture system.

Preventing Bloodstream Infections and Death in Zambian Neonates: Impact of a Low-cost Infection Control Bundle.

Background: Sepsis is a leading cause of neonatal mortality in low-resource settings. As facility-based births become more common, the proportion of neonatal deaths due to hospital-onset sepsis has increased.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study in a neonatal intensive care unit in Zambia where we implemented a multifaceted infection prevention and control (IPC) bundle consisting of IPC training, text message reminders, alcohol hand rub, enhanced environmental cleaning, and weekly bathing of babies ≥1.