Antibiogram of urinary tract pathogens in a tertiary hospital in south-south Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Antibiograms represent the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of bacterial isolates in a given healthcare setting and guides the selection of empiric antimicrobial therapy. Repeated antibiograms over time can be used to ascertain resistance trends of microbes. There is paucity of data on the antibiogram of urinary isolates in Nigeria.
Objective: This study aimed to determine the antibiogram of urinary isolates in a tertiary hospital.
Materials and Methods: A review of records of mid-stream urine samples received in the Medical Microbiology Laboratory and analysed for pathogen identification and subsequent antimicrobial susceptibility testing over a 4 month period, was carried out. Multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index for each isolate was calculated and data was summarized on SPSS 20 using descriptive statistics.
Results: Out of the 959 urine samples submitted to the laboratory during the study period, 283 (29.5%) had positive cultures. Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonia were the most frequently isolated organisms. The total mean MAR index was 0.61 ± 0.30. Providencia spp had the highest mean MAR index of 0.82 ± 0.26, followed by Klebsiella spp and Pseudomonas aeruginosa with mean MAR index of 0.68 ± 0.28 and 0.64 ± 0.32 respectively.
Conclusion: There is a high level of resistance to commonly prescribed antibiotics among UTI pathogens in the hospital. Antimicrobial stewardship strategies are needed to address this negative trend.