author = {Onyedibe, Kenneth. and Okolo, Mark. and Toma, Bose. and Afolaranmi, Tolulope.}, title = {{The necessity of full sepsis screen in neonatal sepsis: Experience in a resource-limited setting}}, journal ={Sahel Medical Journal}, volume ={19}, number ={2}, pages = {89-93}, doi = {10.4103/1118-8561.186041}, year = {2016}, abstract ={Background: Diagnostic tests that differentiate infected from noninfected neonates have the potential to make a significant impact on neonatal care. A full sepsis screen may be necessary to make a diagnosis of neonatal sepsis. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the necessity of routinely collecting blood, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from every neonate suspected of sepsis. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Nigeria. The Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI) criteria for diagnosis of neonatal sepsis were used to select subjects into the study. Blood samples, CSF, and urine samples were collected from 165 neonates and processed by standard microbiologic methods. Results: A total of 68 isolates were recovered from 165 sets of blood culture samples representing 41.2% positive blood culture results. Only 3 (1.8%) organisms were isolated from 165 CSF samples. Five (3%) isolates were recovered from 165 urine samples. The three isolates from CSF were the same with blood isolates from the same neonates. Similarly, four of the five neonates with urine isolates also had blood isolates of the same organism. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that a properly collected blood culture sample is the most appropriate sample for recovering the causative organism in neonatal sepsis whereas other samples such as CSF and urine should be collected only when there are specific indications such as an obvious focus of infection in these sites. A full sepsis screen may not be necessary in most cases so as not to put the already sick neonate through unnecessary and sometimes harmful procedures.}, URL ={https://www.smjonline.org/article.asp?issn=1118-8561;year=2016;volume=19;issue=2;spage=89;epage=93;aulast=Onyedibe;t=6}, eprint ={https://www.smjonline.org/article.asp?issn=1118-8561;year=2016;volume=19;issue=2;spage=89;epage=93;aulast=Onyedibe;t=6} }