Sarcouncil Journal of Medical Sciences

Abstract: A prospective case-control study was performed to determine the maternal and neonatal risk factors for Septicemia in neonates aged (?28) days admitted to the neonatal care unit in Sulaimania Pediatrics Teaching Hospital over a period of ten months from 1st of March 2021 to 31st of December 2022. One hundred ten cases with neonatal sepsis diagnosed by positive blood culture and 110 control culture-negative cases selected were studied; early onset neonatal sepsis (EONS) (? 7 days age) forms 41.8%, while late-onset neonatal sepsis (LONS) (from 8-28days age) forms 58.2%. Our study shows there is an association between age at presentation, gender, weight, gestational age, maternal diseases, early rupture membrane (EROM), previous admission, and increased risk of development of neonatal sepsis. 62.7% percent of studies were male, 56.3% were premature, gram-positive bacteria were the predominant isolates both in early-onset neonatal sepsis and late-onset neonatal sepsis, Staphyloccocus aeurus was the commonest organisms detected; it forms (16.4%). Out of 110 cases, the mortality rate was 18.9% (55%) in late-onset neonatal sepsis and (45%) in early-onset neonatal sepsis. As conclusion, a gram-positive bacterium (specially Staphylococcus aeurus) was the leading bacterial agent of neonatal sepsis in our environment, and the relative high frequency of nosocomial infection mandates the intensification of preventive control measures to limit the spread of infection.