Antimicrobial Susceptibility Patterns of Leading Bacterial Pathogens Isolated from Laboratory Confirmed Blood Stream Infections in a Multi-Specialty Sanatorium

OBJECTIVE: Dealing with severe blood stream infections (BSI) is one of the intractable conditions in hospitals. The empirical treatment given remains pertinent in determining patient outcome, which becomes evidence based when substantiated by knowledge of susceptibility patterns of prevalent pathogenic organisms in the set up. This study was undertaken to determine the occurrence, species prevalence, and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of laboratory confirmed BSI (LCBSI) in patients admitted to our multi-specialty sanatorium. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eight hundred and forty-six blood samples from 829 patients suspected of having BSI were cultured as per standard microbiological procedures. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done for bacterial isolates from positive blood cultures. RESULTS: Sixty (7.2%) cases were established as LCBSI. A total of eight pathogenic bacterial genera were identified and their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern was noted. Staphylococcus spp. were most prevalent (33%), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (20%), Escherichia coli (13%), Acinetobacter spp. (13%), Enterococcus spp. (12%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (3%), Proteus spp. (2%), and Citrobacter spp. (2%). CONCLUSIONS: The study shows the prevalence of common bacterial pathogens causing BSI and their susceptibility patterns. Such studies provide benefit of instantaneous choice of antibiotic therapy aiming at improved patient management and reduced drug resistance.