FREQUENCY AND ANTIBIOTIC SENSITIVITY OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS IN LATE ONSET SEPSIS

Abstract

Objective: To determine the frequency of Staphylococcus aureus infection in neonates with late onset sepsis and to determine the frequency of sensitivity of various antibiotics against Staphylococcus aureus infection in neonates with late onset sepsis. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we included 161 neonates of age 4 to 28 days admitted with LOS. These neonates were selected from the NICU of Nishtar Hospital, Multan from November-2023 to November-2024. The venous blood samples were obtained and sent to hospital laboratory for determination of presence of staphycoccus aureus and its antibiotic susceptibility pattern. Results: The average age of babies was 14.93 (±7.41) days, with an average gestational age of 37.3 (±1.8) weeks. In terms of gender, there were 100 (62.1%) male babies and 61 (37.9%) female babies. Staphylococcus Aureus growth was found in 18 (11.2%) participants. The antibiotic sensitivity pattern of Staphylococcus aureus shows varying effectiveness among different antibiotics. Vancomycin had the highest sensitivity, with 94.4% of strains responding to it. Amikacin followed with an 83.3% sensitivity rate, while Clindamycin showed a 72.2% sensitivity. Co-amoxiclav had a moderate response, with 50% of strains being sensitive. Conclusion: Staphylococcus aureus (SA) is a frequent cause of neonatal sepsis. The antibiotics vancomycin, amikacin, clindamycin, and co-amoxiclav have shown good effectiveness against SA.