STUDY OF BACTERIAL PATHOGENS AND THEIR ANTIBIOGRAM IN PULMONARY SAMPLES AT A RESPIRATORY CARE CENTRE IN HYDERABAD, INDIA

Introduction: Lower respiratory tract infections are among the most common infectious diseases of humans worldwide and also a great challenge to the clinicians due to the increasing antimicrobial resistance. Aim: To identify the pathogens and their antibiotic sensitivity pattern from pulmonary samples of patients suspected to have LRTI. Materials And Methods: A retrospective study was conducted from August 2022 to January 2023 at a respiratory care centre. A total of 1977 samples were included. These samples were inoculated on Blood Agar and MacConkey agar. Identication of bacterial isolates was done by colony characteristics and biochemical tests. Antibiotic sensitivity was done by Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method on Mueller-Hinton agar using the appropriate antibiotic discs.Results: Out of 1977 samples, 68 were found to be culture positive out of which 48(70%) were from sputum sample, 8(11.7%) from bronchial wash, 11(16%) from pleural uid and 1 (1.4%) from ETT secretion. Male patients 51(75%) were more than female patients 17(25%). In-patients 66(97%) more than outpatients 2(2.9%). Out of 66 inpatients, 60 (88.2%) were ward patients and 8(11.7%) were ICU patients. Pseudomonas aeruginosa 32(47%) was the most common organism isolated followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae 23(33.8%), Acinetobacter 8(11.7%), and Staphylococcus aureus 5(7.3%). Out of the 5 Staphylococcus aureus, 1 was found to be Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus. 2 Conclusion: Bacterial isolates showed resistance to common antibiotics. Therefore, proper diagnosis and identication of the pathogenic microorganisms by culture and sensitivity test is vital for appropriate management of LRTIs.