Neonatal septicemia either acquired from the mother (vertical transmission) or nosocomial (horizontal transmission) is a forbidable problem encountered in the neonatal unit and is the commonest primary cause of morbidity and mortality among neonates. The present study was conducted in Department of Microbiology, Dr B R Ambedkar Medical College, Bengaluru, over a period of one year from June 2016 – May 2017. Blood sample were collected from 100 clinically suspected cases of neonatal septicemia admitted in the neonatal intensive care unit. Of the 100 cases studied, 59 were males and 31 were females. Among 34 culture positive neonates 22 were male and 12 were females. Majority . 34% of the isolates were Gram negative organisms, Klebsiella pneumoniae being the commonest isolated in 11 of the 34 culture positive cases followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa 07. The other organisms isolated were Escherichia coli 01, Proteus vulgaris 01, Citrobacter freundii 01. Gram positive organisms were obtained in 9% out of 34 cases. Coagulase negative Staphylococci 03 was commonest isolate followed by Staphylococcus aureus 01 cases. This study concludes that empiric therapy for suspected neonatal septicemia should cover both Gram-negative bacilli and Gram-positive cocci particularly Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus. | Bacteriological spectrum of neonatal septicemia in neonatal intensive care unit
