[Neonatal septicaemia: bacteriological aspects and outcome in the university hospital center of Lome].

Unlabelled: Despite the progress in neonatal intensive care and antibiotics, the neonatal septicaemia remains very frequent and lethal in tropical areas.

Objective: To study the bacteriology and outcome of the neonatal septicaemia through an analysis of 50 confirmed cases.

Methods: Every child aged of less than 29 days, suspected of infection and with at least one positive blood culture has been included. His perinatal antecedents, clinical features, bacteriological findings, treatments and clinical outcome have been collected. The patients have been divided into 3 groups in regard to the postnatal age at the first positive blood culture: before 48 hours, between 3 and 7 days and after 7 days of life.

Results: The neonatal septicaemia occurred in 50% of the cases before 48 hours, 24% from the 2nd to the 7th day and 26% from the 8th to the 28th day of life. Enterobacteriaceae (54%) with E. coli predominant (30%) and S. aureus (28%) were the most frequent germs and particularly during the first week of life: 20/27 and 11/14 respectively. The resistance to the association of ampicillin or amoxicillin and gentamicin was 70% for Enterobacteriaceae and 71% for Staphylococci. The lethality was 36% with an excess of lethality for S. aureus (43%).

Conclusion: The high rates of frequency and lethality of the neonatal septicaemia in tropical areas require a perinatal care improvement to reduce its morbidity and mortality.