in septic arthritis: prevalence and antibiotics susceptibility patterns.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Septic arthritis (SA) is an orthopedic emergency mainly caused by bacteria. SA due to is rare with a poor prognosis. This study aimed to assess the occurrence and antibiotic resistance patterns of in SA patients in Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted from March 2021 to December 2023. 220 samples were collected from SA patients from tertiary care hospitals. Joint aspirates (2ml) and blood (5ml) were analyzed for microbial and hematological examination.

RESULTS

There were 5.45% samples positive, and 94.5% negative for . SA due to was more common in male (6.2%) than female (4.6%) patients with the knee being the most affected joint (6.3%). was more common in patients aged 41-60 years (7.7%), lower socioeconomic (6.9%), and illiterate (8.6%) patients. Suspected patients showed a significant increase in the levels of white blood cells (WBC), C-reactive protein (CRP), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), notably, these levels were further elevated in -positive patients. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based identification of showed clear bands of 204bp of the 16S rRNA gene. Sequence analysis using the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool found high similarity with pathogenic from Egypt and China. The identified strain showed significant resistance to common antibiotics: amoxicillin, amoxicillin-clavulanate, ceftriaxone, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, gentamicin, tetracycline, and erythromycin.

CONCLUSION

Antibiotic resistance in from SA patients suggests the need for accurate antibiotic selection to ensure prompt treatment.