Quest Journals Journal of Medical and Dental Science Research Volume 4~ Issue 2 (2017) pp: 11-15 ISSN(Online) : 2394-076X ISSN (Print):2394-0751 www.questjournals.org *Corresponding Author: PetersideO 1 11 | Page Research Paper Bacteriological profile of childhood sepsis at a tertiary health centre in southern Nigeria. *Oliemen Peterside 1 , Kemebradikumo Pondei 2 ,Oyedeji O Adeyemi 1 1 Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, Bayelsa State, Nigeria 2 Department of Medical Microbiology, Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, Bayelsa State, Nigeria *Corresponding Author: 1 Department Of Paediatrics And Child Health, Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, Bayelsa State, Nigeria Received 01Mar, 2017; Accepted 23 Mar, 2017 © The author(s) 2017. Published with open access at www.questjournals.org ABSTRACT Introduction: Sepsis is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children worldwide, even more so in developing countries. Knowledge of common pathogens and their antibiotic susceptibility pattern is useful for guiding initial treatment while awaiting blood culture results. Objective:To determine the major causative organisms and their antibiotic sensitivity pattern of childhood sepsis at the Niger Delta University TeachingHospital (NDUTH), with the aim of revising existing treatment protocols. Methods: Within a 2 year period (1st January 2014 to 31st December 2015) blood culture results of children with clinical suspicion of sepsis were retrospectively studied. Results:During the study period, 116 (12.11%) of the 958 children admitted into the Children Emergency Ward had blood culture tests. Thirty one (26.72%) had positive blood cultures.Eighteen (58.06%) of the organisms were gram positive while thirteen (41.93%) were gram negative. The predominant organism was Staphylococcus aureus in 16 (51.61%) followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae in 5 (16.13%) patients. The bacterial isolates demonstrated the highest sensitivity to the quinolones. Conclusion:There is need for periodic surveillance of the causative organisms and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of childhood sepsis to guide effective management of patients. Keywords:Childhood sepsis, bacteriological profile, antibiotic susceptibility I. INTRODUCTION Sepsis is systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) with documented or suspected infection aetiology. 1,2 Systemic inflammatory response syndrome comprises at least two of the following events; tachypnoea, tachycardia, fever or hypothermia, leukocytosis or leukopaenia. 3 Sepsis can progress to severe sepsis, septic shock and multi-organ dysfunction syndrome. 4 Sepsis is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children worldwide 5-7 even more so in developing countries. 8-10 It was reported to be the commonest cause of death among children seen at the emergency unit of NnamdiAzikiwe University Teaching Hospital from 2012 to 2014. 11 Garba et al 12 reported sepsis as one of the major causes of death in children aged one to twelve years at a specialist hospital in Zamfara state. Prompt diagnosis and effective treatment of sepsis is necessary to prevent complications and death. 10 Clinical diagnosis of childhood sepsis depends on blood culture positivity but in most cases only 50% of all positive blood cultures represent true blood stream infection. 13 International guidelines recommend that appropriate blood cultures should be obtained before commencing antibiotics which should be commenced within the first hour of recognizing severe sepsis. 14 Results of blood cultures and antibiotics susceptibility tests however take about a week thereby necessitating initial empirical treatment of suspected cases with broad spectrum antibiotics. 15 Knowledge of common pathogens is therefore useful for guiding this initial treatment. 15,16