Antibiogram and Antibiotic Resistance Patterns in Bacterial Isolates from Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar.

Background Empirical antibiotic therapy is facilitated by antibiograms as they provide local bacterial resistance data and patterns. Antibiograms are critical tools that offer comprehensive, institution-specific information on antimicrobial susceptibilities, enabling clinicians to make informed decisions about empirical treatment and guiding antimicrobial stewardship efforts. The rising incidence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) organisms is a significant challenge in countries like Pakistan. Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate the resistance patterns of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria at Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) to commonly used antibiotics, with a specific focus on identifying MDR pathogens. Methods A retrospective study was conducted using antibiogram data from January to September 2022, focusing on both Gram-negative and Gram-positive organisms. Sensitivity patterns for antibiotics such as Ceftazidime, Imipenem, Meropenem, Amikacin, Oxacillin, and Teicoplanin were checked. Results Acinetobacter posed a significant challenge to treatment, displaying only 6% sensitivity to Ceftazidime. This extremely low sensitivity indicates an alarmingly high level of resistance, which is of great concern as it severely limits treatment options for Acinetobacter infections. Such high resistance to Ceftazidime, a broad-spectrum cephalosporin, suggests that infections caused by this pathogen may require the use of last-resort antibiotics or combination therapies, potentially leading to increased healthcare costs and poorer patient outcomes. Additionally, Acinetobacter showed only 37% sensitivity to Ciprofloxacin, further confirming its status as an MDR pathogen in hospital settings. Conclusion The results show the growing threat of MDR organisms at HMC, Peshawar. This underscores the urgent need for robust antimicrobial stewardship programs, enhanced infection control practices, ongoing surveillance of resistance patterns, healthcare provider education, and regional collaboration to address the challenge of antimicrobial resistance.
Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Hayatabad Medical Complex (Institutional Research and Ethical Board) issued approval 2208. To ensure the study was done ethically, the institutional review board granted ethical permission. Patient confidentiality was ensured by eliminating all identities and analyzing only anonymous data. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.
(Copyright © 2024, Iftikhar et al.)