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An outbreak of Serratia marcescens septicemia in neonates

Ekrem Guler1, Mehmet Davutoglu, Hasan Ucmak

  • 1Department of Pediatric, Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University, Kahramanmaras 46050, Turkey. ekremguler@hotmail.com

Indian Pediatrics
|January 31, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Serratia marcescens caused an outbreak in 8 neonates. Meropenem effectively treated sepsis resistant to imipenem, highlighting its efficacy in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) settings.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Neonatal Medicine
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Serratia marcescens is a known cause of hospital-acquired infections.
  • Neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are susceptible to outbreaks of nosocomial pathogens.
  • Antibiotic resistance in nosocomial pathogens poses a significant challenge in neonatal care.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To report an outbreak of Serratia marcescens in a NICU.
  • To evaluate the treatment outcomes for neonates infected with Serratia marcescens.
  • To compare the efficacy of meropenem versus imipenem in treating Serratia marcescens sepsis.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 8 neonates with Serratia marcescens infection in a NICU.
  • Review of treatment regimens, focusing on imipenem and meropenem.
  • Clinical outcome assessment including treatment success and failure.

Main Results:

  • Seven out of eight neonates with Serratia marcescens sepsis were successfully treated with meropenem.
  • Imipenem treatment failed in cases subsequently treated successfully with meropenem.
  • Meropenem demonstrated effectiveness against Serratia marcescens strains resistant to imipenem.

Conclusions:

  • Meropenem is an effective treatment option for Serratia marcescens sepsis in neonates, even when imipenem has failed.
  • This study underscores the importance of appropriate antibiotic selection in managing nosocomial infections in the NICU.
  • Further investigation into meropenem's role in treating resistant bacterial infections in neonates is warranted.

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