AbstractObjective:This study aims to describe bacterial and antimicrobial sensibilities in late-onset healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) with laboratory confirmation in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of a public hospital in Ceará.Methods:This was a cross-sectional study conducted from January 2013 to December 2017. The bacterial types involved in late-onset HAIs, their sensitivity to antimicrobials, and their multidrug resistance were evaluated. The latter was classified according to the criteria revised by the Pan-American Health Organization as multidrug resistance (MDR), extended drug resistance (XDR), or pandrug resistance (PDR). The description of the variables was performed through proportions and frequency distribution depicted in tables.Results:Of the 427 patients with late-onset HAIs, 47 (11.0%) had bacterial infections confirmed by blood cultures, and 7 (14.9%) had infections caused by MDR bacteria. Among the types of bacteria, 26 (55.3%) were Gram-negative bacteria, and 21 (44.7%) were Gram-positive bacteria. Among the Gram-negative bacteria, 92.3% (n=24) showed resistance to more than one antimicrobial, especially to ampicillin (81.2%), cefepime (33.1%), gentamicin (19.4%), and piperacillin/tazobactam (17.2%). Among the MDR ones, three cases hadKlebsiella pneumoniae, and three hadPseudomonas aeruginosa, classified as two MDR and one XDR, and three XDR, respectively. Gram-positive resistance to penicillin was the most common one (80.0%), and approximately half of the strains being resistant to oxacillin. Susceptibility was high to vancomycin (97.5%), but one microorganism was resistant to oxacillin and vancomycin.Conclusions:The emergence of MDR strains is a reality in NICUs, carrying the risk of therapeutic failure and requiring continuous prevention protocols aimed at minimizing the risks of contamination by bacteria with high morbidity and mortality.