Multiple recommended regimens for neonatal sepsis are now ineffective in South-East Asia, new data suggest, as researchers sound the alarm over antibiotic-resistant infections in newborns.

A University of Sydney–led study, published in The Lancet Regional Health — Western Pacific, analysed nearly 15,000 blood cultures from infants with suspected sepsis in 10 hospitals across five South-East Asian countries, including Indonesia and the Philippines.

It revealed “alarming levels” of antimicrobial resistance, with gram-negative bacteria responsible for nearly 80% of neonatal sepsis cases.

“The predominance of Klebsiella sp., Acinetobacter sp. and Escherichia coli as causative pathogens is consistent with other recent epidemiological data, but the relative contribution of Enterobacter sp. was higher than observed elsewhere,” the researchers wrote.