Multidrug-Resistant Klebsiella, Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter Species at a Referral Hospital, Gondar, Ethiopia: a Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND

Multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria particularly Klebsiella, Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter species are recognized as a major health concern worldwide. As a result, the World Health Organization listed these bacteria in the critical priority pathogens group. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of carbapenem and multidrug-resistant Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, and Acinetobacter species at the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital.

METHODS

A five-year hospital based retrospective study was conducted from July to September 2021. Socio-demographic and laboratory data were collected from medical records in microbiology laboratory. The quality of the extracted data was assured through cross checking. The data were entered through Epi-data version 4.4.3.1, exported and analyzed using SPSS version 20. The variables were analyzed and presented through tables and graphics.

RESULTS

In this study, the frequencies of male participants and neonates under the age of one week were 585 (62.8%) and 210 (22.6%), respectively. Approximately half (436; 46.8%) of the bacterial isolates were recovered from blood specimen. A total of 931 isolates were recorded, where 576 (61.9%) of these isolates were multidrug-resistant. More than two-third of Klebsiella ozaenae (87; 68.5%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (398; 63.3%) were multidrug-resistant. Of the total bacterial isolates, 24 (13.1%) and 82 (22.9%) were resistant to imipenem and meropenem, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The proportion of multidrug and carbapenem resistance in Klebsiella, Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter species were high. Therefore, urgent intervention including prevention of the spread of antimicrobial resistant strains and infection prevention practices is required. Treatment should also be guided with antimicrobial susceptibility testing.