Retrospective analysis of patterns of drug resistant bacteria isolated from swabs and discharges of patients at Saint Paul Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

The incidence of multidrug resistant bacteria is threatening our globe nowadays, of which Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Proteus species, Pseudomonas species and Klebsiella species are the most frequent. Diseases such as tuberculosis have become increasingly difficult to treat as drugs become less effective. This study aims to assess drug resistance and susceptibility patterns of bacterial isolates of swabs and discharges of patients. Retrospective analysis was conducted on 290 bacterial isolates of swabs and discharges with their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern at Microbiology Department of Saint Paul’s Hospital. Twenty-seven different species of bacteria have been obtained from two hundred and ninety patients who were infected with bacteria among which S. aureus is the most frequent followed by Con’s (Staphylococcus species other than S. aureus), E. coli and Klebsiella spp. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated in 51(17.6%) from the total isolates while Con’s, E. coli and Klebsiella were isolated from 27, 25 and 7, respectively. Out of these isolates, Con’s were the most highly resistant among the isolates followed by S. aureus and E. coli. Klebsiella was the most sensitive of all isolates, while the rest showed intermediate pattern of drug susceptibility to the commonly prescribed drugs. Careful surveillance of infection along with appropriate laboratory data, good isolation techniques, procedures, appropriate sensitivity techniques, restrictive antimicrobial policy and rich supply of different antibiotics are critical if the drug resistant bacteria are sustained.