Frequency and Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated from Patients Attending University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital

Aim: This study was aimed at determining the frequency of occurrence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the susceptibility pattern of isolates to antibiotics.

Place of Study: Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), Nigeria.

Methodology: One hundred and thirty one (131) clinical specimens (comprising of urine, wound swab, ear swab, high vaginal swab and catheter swab) were collected from patients (female=80, male=51) attending UMTH and were screened for P. aeruginosa using standard microbiological and biochemical methods. Antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolates was determined by the disc diffusion assay.

Results: Our results showed that thirty six (36) patients were positive for P. aeruginosa with an occurrence rate of 27.5% with male patients having the highest occurrence rate of 55.6% compared to female patients with 44.4%. The result also showed that the occurrence rate was higher among patients within the age group of 31-40 years (25.0%) and the least was observed among those in age group of 41-50 years and 71-80 years (5.6% respectively). The distribution of P. aeruginosa in relation to sample types examined indicate that wound swab had the highest isolation rate of 38.9% followed by urine 27.8%, while the least were catheter tips (2.8%). The distribution of P. aeruginosa based on clinics and wards of the hospital showed that patients from general out patients departments (GOPD) had the highest occurrence rate of 27.8%, while the least was observed among those from female medical ward (2.8%). The antimicrobial susceptibility test revealed that Tetracycline and Cefuraxime had high activity against 42.0% of isolates while Ofloxacin recorded the highest resistance of 92.0%.

Conclusion: This study reveals an increased distribution rate for P. aeruginosa in the hospital environment, hence appropriate measures and proper identification techniques are required for surveillance and control.