Asian Journal of Pregnancy and Childbirth

Background: Neonatal sepsis is considered the most common leading cause of morbidity and mortality among neonates mainly in developing countries. In the resource-poor settings, the most frequently reported cause of bacterial neonatal sepsis was from Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Escherichia coli in addition to Staphylococcus aureus.  Whereas in the developed countries, Streptococci agalactia (Group-B Streptococcus (GBS) and E. coli are most prevalent.

Aim: This study aimed to determine the leading causes of neonatal sepsis in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Benghazi Medical Centre (BMC) in 2022.

Research methodology: a descriptive, retrospective cross-sectional study design. Data was collected from medical records of the NICU from the infection control office for a year [from January to December 2022]. The total number of neonatal sepsis admissions was 365 cases.

Results: Staphylococcus aureus (40%) and (39%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (31%) and (29%) were the most common bacteria that isolated from the neonates infected with sepsis and their mothers with UTIs (52%), respectively. about 190 (52%) mothers whose neonates were infected with sepsis were suffering from urinary tract infections during pregnancy and delivery. As well as 125 (34%) mothers were suffering from leaking amniotic fluids for more than 18 hours before delivery. Finally, 50 (14%) neonates were infected with hospital-acquired pneumonia.

Conclusion: it is concluded that Staphylococcus aureus (39%) was the most common pathogen responsible for the mother's UTIs in this study. In addition, the history of maternal UTI, and leaking due to PROM, were identified as risk factors for neonatal sepsis in the current study. Lack of Antenatal care and failure to deal with maternal illnesses increase the risk of infection in the baby. Thus, it is essential to identify and address the associated factors to reduce neonatal morbidity and mortality.