In Indian neonatal intensive care units, which organism is the MOST frequent cause of LATE-ONSET septicemia (onset beyond 72 hours of life)?

• A Staphylococcus aureus
• B Group B Streptococcus
• C Klebsiella pneumoniae ✓
• D Streptococcus pneumoniae

Explanation

Indian multicenter surveillance data consistently show Klebsiella pneumoniae as the leading cause of late-onset neonatal septicemia in NICUs, usually multidrug-resistant, followed by other gram-negative bacilli such as E coli, Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter, and by Staphylococcus aureus. Group B Streptococcus dominates EARLY-onset sepsis in Western settings but is uncommon in Indian units. This contrast between early-onset and late-onset epidemiology is a frequently examined point in Indian exams.

Reference: AIIMS Protocols in Neonatology, 2nd ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

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