GARDP neonatal sepsis study was carried out in 19 hospitals across four continents
The Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP) has released a second wave of findings from a large study which focuses on new-born babies with clinically diagnosed sepsis – a life-threatening bloodstream infection.
The results have revealed the significant impact of antibiotic resistance on neonatal sepsis – a major cause of death that affects up to three million babies a year.
The study looked at the outcomes of more than 3,200 new-borns with neonatal sepsis and revealed that an increasing number of babies die due to resistant infections, as the current treatments have become ineffective.
“Babies are especially vulnerable to infections because of their underdeveloped immune systems,” said Sally Ellis, Children’s Antibiotics Project leader for GARDP. “Compounding the problem is that babies are dying because of the lack of good treatment options. This study has given us a wealth of data on neonatal sepsis to design new and improved treatments specifically for babies.”
11% of new-born babies with suspected neonatal sepsis died across hospitals and regions during the study period. This increased to 18% in new-borns where a pathogen was detected in their blood culture.
Principal investigator, Professor Mike Sharland from St George’s, University of London – who is also the Antimicrobial Resistance Programme Lead at Penta–Child Health Research – explained: “Our study has shown that antibiotic resistance is now one of the major threats to new-born health globally. There are virtually no studies underway on developing novel antibiotic treatments for babies with sepsis caused by multidrug-resistant infections. This is a major problem for babies in all countries, both rich and poor.”
“There is an urgent need to develop and ensure access to novel antibiotic treatments to keep pace with rising rates of drug-resistant infections among babies with neonatal sepsis,” added Dr Manica Balasegaram, executive director of GARDP.
He added: “We are incredibly grateful to our numerous partners and funders who have given us essential support to make this observational study possible. Guided by these new insights, we have the opportunity to place children at the centre of the international response to antibiotic resistance.”
