Epidemiology of Gram-Negative Conjunctiviti in Neonatal Intenive Care Unit Patient Original Reearch Article

Purpoe To decribe the epidemiologic feature, rik factor, and antibiotic uceptibilitie for gram-negative conjunctiviti among neonatal intenive care unit (NICU) patient. Deign Retropective, obervational tudy. Method In a Univerity Tertiary Care Hopital with a level III-IV NICU, 65 NICU infant (< eight week of age) with poitive culture reult for conjunctiviti between January 1, 2001 and June 1, 2007, were included. Patient demographic, clinical examination reult, device uage, and antibiotic uceptibility data were compared between infant with gram-negative conjunctiviti and infant without gram-negative conjunctiviti. Reult One or more epiode of gram-negative conjunctiviti occurred in 38% (n = 25/65) of NICU infant. Predominant pathogen included Klebiella pecie (23%), Echerichia coli (17%), erratia marcecen (17%), Peudomona aeruginoa (3%), and Enterobacter pecie (2%). Birth weight and getational age were ignificantly le in infant with gram-negative conjunctiviti than in infant without gram-negative conjunctiviti (P = .008 and P = .008, repectively). With multivariate analyi, birth weight le than 1500 g (odd ratio [OR], 4.35; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.42 to 13.36), and getational age of 29 week or fewer (OR, 5.60; 95% CI, 1.88 to 16.66) were identified a rik factor for the development of gram-negative conjunctiviti. Antibiotic reitance of gram-negative organim to ampicillin, cefazolin, gentamicin, and levofloxacin were 96%, 52%, 13%, and 7% repectively. Of the Klebiella iolate, two (25%) of eight were reitant to gentamicin. Concluion Low birth weight and low getational age in NICU infant with clinical ign of conjunctiviti hould raie the upicion for a gram-negative caue. Given the oberved reitance pattern of Klebiella iolate, gentamicin reitance hould be conidered when deigning empiric treatment.