The Clinical Characteristics of Neonatal Sepsis Infection in Southwest China.

Objective: To identify the pathogens responsible for neonatal sepsis in a high-volume women and children's hospital in Southwest China.

Methods: We retrospectively studied 133 neonates who were admitted to the West China Women and Children's Hospital between 2008 and 2012 for sepsis. The clinical characteristics of the patients were recorded, and the antibiotic sensitivities of the isolated bacteria were determined.

Results: All of the included patients had clinical symptoms of sepsis, and subsequent blood cultures confirmed the infection. Almost 80% of patients were infected with coagulase-negative staphylococci (52.8%), Escherichia coli (23.6%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (16.0%) or Staphylococcus aureus (7.5%). Neonates who were infected with gram-negative bacteria, particularly K. pneumoniae, had lower birth weights and were admitted to hospital within 24 hours of birth. Additionally, 87.5% of the isolated K. pneumoniae strains were resistant to third generation cephalosporins.

Conclusion: Coagulase-negative staphylococci were the most common pathogens found in neonatal sepsis. Moreover, neonatal sepsis caused by gram-negative bacteria was more often observed in newborns of low birth weight. The isolated strains of gram-negative bacteria were highly resistant to cephalosporins. This observation highlights the issue of antibiotic-resistant pathogens in the clinical setting, which poses an added risk to infants presenting with sepsis.