Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates and their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern among catheterized patients at Jimma University Teaching Hospital, Jimma, Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is among the most common bacterial pathogens with wide spread distribution in health care settings. Despite advances in medical and surgical care and introduction of wide variety of antimicrobial agents, Pseudomonas aeruginosa continues to cause life threatening infection. Thus, this study aims to isolate and determine antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from catheterized patients with urinary tract infection. RESULT: A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to May, 2013. Urine specimens of 73 catheterized patients who developed urinary tract infection after catheterization were collected from sampling port of the catheter. The urine samples were inoculated on MaConckey and blood agar plates, and incubated at 37 °C for 24 h. The isolates were identified by conventional microbiological tests. Antimicrobial susceptibility pattern was determined by modified Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. From a total of 73 urine samples collected P. aeruginosa was isolated from 36 (49.32 %) catheterized patients; 17 (23.29 %) males and 19 (26.03 %) females. While all P. aeruginosa isolates were found to be susceptible to Norfloxacin and Ciprofloxacin most isolates were also susceptible to Gentamicin (86.12 %). CONCLUSION: The result shows higher prevalence of P. aeruginosa isolates among catheterized patients and the isolates were susceptible to the antimicrobials studied. All P. aeruginosa isolates were susceptible to Ciprofloxacin and Norfloxacin with some of the isolates shown resistance to Gentamicin. While the susceptibility of the isolates to the two fluoroquinolones is a good news for the prescribers their future rational prescription and use should be the main focus.