Background and Aim Burkholderia gladioli is a rare cause of bacteraemia and sepsis in patients without predisposing factors like chronic granulomatous disease, cystic fibrosis or immunsupressive disorders. There is little known about B. gladioli infections in newborns. The aim of this study was to evaluate the features of B. gladioli infections in newborns.

Methods Clinico-pathologic characteristics, patterns of antimicrobial susceptibility, predisposing factors and outcomes of B. gladioli bloodstream infections of newborn patients were analysed retrospectively from 2008 to 2011.

Results During the 3-year study period, B. gladioli was isolated from blood cultures of 14 patients (3.7 per 1000 admissions). Five out of 14 (35.7%) cases have a positive blood culture at the time of initial admission. Primary diagnoses of neonates were severe major congenital anomalies, congenital leukemia, prematurity with respiratory distress syndrome, pneumonia and parapneumonic pleural effusion. Eleven of the 14 patients (78.6%) had undergone at least one invasive procedure and 71.4% of the patients had undergone two or more of invasive procedures. The most susceptible antimicrobial agents were amikacin, gentamicin, imipenem, ciprofloxacin, trimethoprime/sulphametaxazole and ceftriaxone. The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 21.4%.The mortality rate was 7% for B. gladioli infections.

Conclusions B. gladioli might be a causative microorganism of both early neonatal and nosocomial sepsis in newborns. To our knowledge, this is the first report of B. gladioli infection in newborns. Although it seems to have a low pathogenic potential and insidious clinical course in newborns, resistance patterns to antibiotics may be a problem. Mortality was mainly associated with underlying diseases.