FREQUENCY AND ANTIMICROBIAL SUSCEPTIBILITY PATTERN OF BACTERIAL ISOLATES IN URINE AND PUS SAMPLES IN A HEALTH-CARE SETTING

Abstract

Background: Bacterial infections, particularly urinary tract and wound infections, are significant healthcare concerns, while increasing antimicrobial resistance has made their treatment increasingly challenging. This study aimed to determine the frequency of bacterial pathogens isolated from urine and pus samples and to evaluate their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns in a healthcare setting.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Microbiology Department of Arif Memorial Teaching Hospital over a six-month period from August 2024 to January 2025. A total of 151 clinical specimens, comprising 75 urine and 76 pus samples, were collected using convenient sampling. Samples were processed using standard microbiological procedures, including culture on MacConkey and Blood agar, Gram staining, and biochemical tests. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method on Mueller-Hinton agar according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0.

Results: Of the 151 samples, 110 (72.84%) were culture positive. Females constituted 60.93% of the study population, while males accounted for 39.07%, with the 31–45-year age group being the most represented (31.13%). Escherichia coli was the most frequently isolated pathogen (28.48%), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (20.53%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (9.93%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (7.28%), and Enterobacter spp. (6.62%). High antimicrobial resistance was observed against ceftriaxone and nalidixic acid (100%), ampicillin (98.5%), penicillin (96.7%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (96.1%), and colistin (94.1%). In contrast, vancomycin showed 100% sensitivity, while cefoxitin and linezolid demonstrated 96.3% and 80% sensitivity, respectively.

Conclusion: The study demonstrates a high prevalence of bacterial infections and concerning levels of antimicrobial resistance among commonly isolated pathogens. The predominance of E. coli and S. aureus, along with high resistance to several commonly used antibiotics, emphasizes the need for routine antimicrobial susceptibility testing, continuous resistance surveillance, prudent antibiotic use, and appropriate infection-control measures to support effective treatment and improve patient outcomes.