Neonatal Sepsis: Treatment of Neonatal Sepsis in Multidrug-Resistant (MDR) Infections: Part 2

Sepsis is one of the major causes of neonatal deaths in India and worldwide. Pathogens encountered in neonatal sepsis vary worldwide; reports from developing countries more commonly show Gram negative organisms, most common being Acinetobacter spp., Klebsiella spp. and Escherichia coli. Recent studies show that the incidence of antimicrobial resistance, to third generation cephalosporins and carbapenems, has been on a rise. Because of widespread antimicrobial resistance, 'Higher' or 'Reserve' antibiotics are increasingly being used as first/second line antibiotics. In the past decade, there has been a resurgence in the use of colistin as a result of Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)- producing Enterobacteriaceae and carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), which retain susceptibility only to colistin. The increasing burden of drug resistant Gram negative organisms, particularly Acinetobacter spp., Klebsiella spp., and E. coli might pose a formidable threat in coming years.