Sensitivity Patterns, Plasmid Profiles and Clonal Relatedness of Multi-Drug Resistant Isolated From the Ashanti Region, Ghana.

is a major cause of most opportunistic nosocomial infections in Ghana. The study sought to characterize isolates from market environments, poultry farms and clinical samples of patients from 2 district hospitals in the Ashanti region of Ghana. The genetic relatedness, plasmid profiles and antimicrobial sensitivity of the isolates were investigated. Culture based isolation and gene amplification were used to confirm the identity of the isolates. Susceptibility testing was conducted using the Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method. Random whole genome typing of the strains was done using Enterobacterial repetitive-intergenic consensus based (ERIC) PCR assay. The most active agents against isolates were ceftazidime (90%), piperacillin (85%), meropenem, cefipeme and ticarcillin/clavulanic acid (81.6%). The isolates were most resistant to gentamycin (69%), ciprofloxacin (62.1%), ticarcillin (56.3%) and aztreonam (25%). About 65% (n = 38) of the multi-drug resistant (MDR) isolates harbored 1 to 5 plasmids with sizes ranging from 2 to 116.8 kb. A total of 27 clonal patterns were identified. Two major clones were observed with a clone showing resistance to all the test antipseudomonal agents. There is therefore a need for continued intensive surveillance to control the spread and development of resistant strains.