Bacteriological profiles, antimicrobial resistance patterns, and predictors of culture-confirmed neonatal Sepsis at Asella Teaching Hospital, Southeast Ethiopia

Culture-confirmed neonatal sepsis was highly prevalent, with a substantial burden of multidrug-resistant pathogens. Most bacterial isolates exhibited high resistance to commonly used first-line antibiotics, whereas amikacin and carbapenems remained relatively effective. The high prevalence of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteremia is particularly concerning and underscores the need for routine antimicrobial resistance surveillance, locally guided empirical antibiotic therapy, strengthened infection prevention and control measures, and robust antimicrobial stewardship programs to reduce the emergence of antimicrobial resistance and improve neonatal outcomes in this setting.