BACKGROUND

Burns are one of the most common forms of trauma globally. P. aeruginosa plays a prominent role as an etiological agent among burn patients. There is a paucity of information about the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance patterns of P. aeruginosa among burn patients in Ethiopia. Hence, this study was designed to assess the prevalence and antimicrobial-resistant patterns of P. aeruginosa among burn patients attending Yekatit 12 Hospital Medical College in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

METHODS

Hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted at Yekatit 12 Hospital Medical College among burn patients from November 2020 to April 2021. Identification of P. aeruginosa was performed using Culture, Biochemical tests, and, Gram staining. Antimicrobial resistance testing was done using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Logistic regression was computed to determine associated factors.

RESULTS

From 210 burn wound cultures, 27 (12.86%) were found positive for P. aeruginosa. All the isolates showed greater than 70% susceptibility to the tested antibiotics except Gentamycin, Ceftazidime, and, Ciprofloxacin. In addition, 33.33% of P. aeruginosa isolates were multidrug-resistant. Admission type, Hospital stay time and Total body surface area (TBSA) had a statistically significant association (all with P-value <0.05) with the acquisition of P. aeruginosa infection.

CONCLUSION

Overall, the prevalence of P. aeruginosa isolates among burn patients is almost 13%. Most P. aeruginosa isolates were sensitive to Imipenem, while they were most resistant to Gentamycin. One-third of P. aeruginosa were multidrug-resistant. This suggests the need to monitor the treatment of infection with the pathogen to limit the possibility of the emergence of multidrug-resistant isolates in burn centers.