Bacterial isolates in the sick young infant in Ile-Ife, Nigeria

This prospective study was carried out to determine the bacterial pathogens and their antibiotic sensitivity profile in the sick young infant. All consecutive young infants with features suggestive of infection seen over 5 months at a Comprehensive Health Centre in Ile-Ife, were screened for septicaemia and local bacterial infections. Of the 121 sick young infants screened for infection, 94 (77.7 per cent) had confirmed bacterial infection and 54 (57.4 per cent) of the 94 had confirmed septicaemia. Gram-positive organisms were the commonest bacterial isolates accounting for 204 (81.6 per cent) of the 250 isolates in this study. Staphylococcus aureus was the most frequent organism accounting for 61.2 per cent of all isolates. Gram-negative organisms accounted for 46 (18.4 per cent) of all isolates with Salmonella spp. and Proteus vulgaris predominating. All the bacterial isolates in this study were sensitive to ofloxacin and most were sensitive to the antibiotics commonly employed in the treatment of infections caused by these organisms. However, many of both Grampositive and Gram-negative isolates in this study were resistant to cotrimoxazole. The study highlights the high prevalence of bacterial infections (localized or systemic) among young infants. It also shows that Gram-positive organisms, the principal aetiologic agents, were sensitive to commonly used antibiotics. It is recommended that genticin and cloxacillin or erythromycin should be used as the first-line antibiotics in the treatment of young infants with bacterial infections in Ile-Ife, Nigeria.