Abstract
Objective:
To assess antibiotic resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from four types of
clinical specimen at Al-Shifa hospital, and to compare susceptibilities of those isolates
according to their source.
Method:
Clinical specimens from Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza were analyzed between January and
December 2002. Pseudomonas aeruginosa were isolated and identified by conventional
methods. The antibiotic resistance rates were measured by modified Kirby-Bauer disk
diffusion method. Data were analyzed statistically using SPSS (version 11).
Results:
The number of isolated P. aeruginosa was 541, obtained from 4 types of clinical
specimens. Pus was the major source of P. aeruginosa isolates (64%), followed by urine
(24%), sputum (7.0%) and Blood (5.0%). However, considering the number of specimens
cultured, sputum showed the highest Pseudomonas isolation rate (49%), followed by Pus
(23%), urine (8.0%) and Blood (6.0%). The highest percentage rates of resistance were
found against amoxicillin (99% of all isolates), cephalexin (98.5%), cefaclor (97.4%),
doxycycline (96.2%), trimethoprim/ sulfamethoxazole (94.7%) and nalidixic acid (93.5
%). Ciprofloxacin was the most effective of all the tested antimicrobials, followed by
Gentamicin and Amikacin. Significant statistical (P 0.05) difference in isolated strain
susceptibility was detected among some of the antimicrobials depending on the specimen
source.
Conclusion:
This study showed that antimicrobial resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was high
and alarming. Significant difference in the resistance pattern of isolates from different
specimen type can be useful in clearing the picture of resistance problem and suggests
that due care must be taken in hospital settings to adequately diagnose pseudomonal
infections and prescribe the antibiotic treatment most effective in preventing the increase
in multidrug resistant organisms.