Do You Prefer Aminoglycosides or Cephalosporins in Neonatal Infections?

Background: Infections include an important cause of neonatal death. The gold standard of diagnosis is a culture that should be obtained from suspected sites. The basis of treatment is antibiotic therapy. It should start as soon as possible for preventing any subsequent complications. Choosing the appropriate antibiotic for empirical treatment is important. Methods: In this study, patients who were admitted to the neonatal wards of a Children’s Hospital Medical Center for infections with positive blood, CSF, or urine culture were studied during a two-year period. Results: Ninety-two newborns that had positive cultures were included in the study. Concerning the site of infection, 27.9% of positive blood cultures and 54.1% of urinary tract infections were sensitive to aminoglycosides (P value = 0.026). However, there was no significant relationship between the infection site and sensitivity to cephalosporins. Based on the bacterial species, 76.1% of Gram-negative infections were sensitive to aminoglycosides but 40.4% to cephalosporins (P value = 0.052). Conclusions: According to the relationship found in the study, aminoglycosides can safely start in case of a higher probability of urinary tract infections and Gram-negative infections as empirical treatment.