Bacteria Associated With Nosocomial Infection And Their Antimicrobial Resistance Pattern IN Paediatric Patients in A Tertiary Health Institution

Abstract

This paper sets to determine the Pathogens associated with nosocomial bacterial infections in children at a large teaching hospital and assess their antibiotic-resistance patterns. A total of 4,981 paediatric patients on admission in various paediatric wards at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) from 1994-1995 were prospectively studied from admission until discharge using CDC criteria, Antibiotic susceptibility was carried out by a disc diffusion technique.

The incidence of noscomial bacterial septicemia was 5.2% overall, 14,9% for ou-born babies, 4.7% inborn babies, 2.3% in the surgical wards and 1.9% in the general paediatric wards. Klebsiella pneumoniae (31%), Burkholderia cepacia(13.4%), Staphylococcus aureus (11.8%), Enterobacter cloacae (75) and coagulase-negative staphylococcei and enteroccoci, while they were also highly susceptible to Amoxycillen-clavulanic acid and Ampicilin-sulbactum but resistant to Erythromycin and chloramphenical. Cefoxitin, cefotaxime and ceftazidime were active on most gram-negative bacteria. All the isolates were resistant to gentamicin and cotrimoxazole.
There is a need for a review of prevailing sepsis control measures at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital and continuous surveillance of antibiotic resistance in blood pathogens.


Key Words: Noscomial, Antibiotic resistance, Paediatrics


[J. of Med. & Medical Sci. Vol.1(1) 1999: 6-13]