Abstract

Background: Klebsiella species has been considered as a major pathogen responsible for hospital acquired infections. Out of the six ESKAPE pathogens (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella Pneumoniae, Acinetobacter Baumanii, Pseudomonas Aeroginosa and Enterobacter species), Klebsiella is the most encountered organism. Resistance in Klebsiella species due to production of extended spectrum beta lactamases and carbapenemases is growing, resulting in higher mortality,increased hospital stay and higher therapeutic cost .The present study highlights the need for continued monitoring of AST patterns and also emphasizes on formulation of sound antibiotic policy in the hospital.
Methodology: The present retrospective study was conducted in the Department of Microbiology, GMCH, Amritsar from November 2021 to May 2022. 1747Klebsiella isolates from various 7572 clinical samples (urine, pus, blood, wound and sputum) were included in the study and samples were obtained from both inpatients and outpatients, of all age groups and of both sexes.  Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done for all the isolates using antimicrobial discs (Ampicillin, Gentamicin, Cefepime, Amikacin, Piperacillin tazobactam, Imipenem, Ciprofloxacin, PolyB, Cefotaxime, Meropenem, Colistin, Nitrofurantoin, and Norfloxacin) on Mueller-Hinton agar plates by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method according to the CLSI guidelines 2021
Results: Overall Klebsiella isolates was reported in 23.07% of all the samples. Out of 1747 Klebsiella isolates, K.pneumoniae and K. oxytoca was revealed in 91.35% and 8.64% of the Klebsiella isolates respectively. Maximum resistance was shown by ampicillin (100%). In this study, maximum sensitivity was shown with Colistin and Polymyxin-B i.e. 99.66% and 99.26% respectively
Conclusion: As the multidrug resistant strains of Klebsiella species are constantly increasing. Knowledge about the resistance pattern of these bacterial strains will help in the judicial use of antibiotics, formulation of antibiotic policies apt for the hospitals and implementation of infection control programs.