Prevalence and Antibiotic Susceptibility of MDR Bacteria Isolated from Post-Surgical Wounds
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70749/ijbr.v4i2.2947Keywords:
Surgical site infection, multidrug resistance, E. coli, antimicrobial susceptibility, Staphylococcus, PeshawarAbstract
Background: Surgical site infections (SSIs) remain one of the most common healthcare-associated infections worldwide and are increasingly complicated by multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria. Objective: To determine the prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility patterns of MDR bacteria isolated from post-surgical wound infections in tertiary care hospitals of Peshawar. Methodology: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted from October to December 2022. A total of 174 samples were collected from patients suspected of post-surgical wound infection. Standard microbiological procedures including culture on Blood and MacConkey agar, Gram staining, biochemical tests, API 10E confirmation, and antibiotic susceptibility testing using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method (CLSI 2020 guidelines) were performed. Data were analyzed using MS Excel 2016 and SPSS version 26. Results: Out of 174 samples, 139 (79.8%) were culture positive. The mean age of patients was 41.67 ± 12.573 years. Gram-negative bacteria predominated. The most frequent isolates were Escherichia coli (32%), Staphylococcus species (30%), Pseudomonas species (10%), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (7%). A high proportion of isolates demonstrated multidrug resistance, including resistance to carbapenems and linezolid in selected strains. The high prevalence of MDR pathogens in post-surgical wound infections highlights the urgent need for routine culture and sensitivity testing, rational antibiotic use, and strict infection control practices.
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