[Bacteriology of neonatal septicemia in Dakar]

Between February 1983 and February 1991, 471 blood cultures from newborns with neonatal infection, aged from 0 to 30 days, admitted to the Pediatric Hospital Albert Royer, Dakar, were performed. In 141 (30.3 percent) cases, one bacterium was isolated. Three major causative organisms were identified: Klebsiella spp (28.6 percent), E. coli (19.5 percent) and S. aureus (17.4 percent). Altogether, we isolated 99 (69.2 percent) enterobacteria, 7 (4.8 percent) other Gram negative bacilli and 37 (25.8 percent) Gram positive cocci among which 25 S. aureus, 10 streptococci (7 group B, 2 group D, 1 group A and 2 pneumococci). The most efficient antibiotics were amikacin and third generation cephalosporins.