UNVEILING THE EMERGING PATTERNS OF ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE IN CLINICAL PATHOGENS

Abstract

A major health issue facing modern medicine is antimicrobial resistance. Millions of people are affected annually due to improper participation and misuse of antibiotics. The WHO categorized the AMR as one of the top ten worldwide health issues. However, there is limited recent surveillance and resistance data. This study aims to identify the emerging resistance trends in clinical isolates that are contributing to better antibiotic management and infection control techniques. A cross-sectional study is conducted at the microbiology lab at COMSATS University Islamabad. Clinical specimens were collected from different patients within healthcare institutes and labs with suspected bacterial infections. A total of 458 clinical samples is obtained, including blood (88) (19.2%), urine (178) (38.9%), wound swabs (138) (30.1%), and body fluid (54) (11.1%). These samples were cultured on MacConkey agar, blood agar, and nutrient agar for the growth and isolation of microorganisms. Standard biochemical testing was used for confirmation of bacterial species, and the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method was used for antibiotic susceptibility. 358 (78.2%) samples show the growth of microorganisms the most frequently. Escherichia coli (104) (28.1) %, Klebsiella pneumonia (96) (26%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (54) (14.6%) Staphylococcus aureus (42) (11.3%), Serratia marcescens (17) (4.6%), Salmonella typhi (16) (4.3%), Acinetobacter baumannii (16) (4.3%), and Burkholderia cepacia (13) (3.5%) and drug testing on 358 clinical specimens show different sensitivity and resistance patterns. Twenty different types of drugs that are tested in 358 clinical specimens show different sensitivity and resistance patterns among these drugs. Amoxi Clavulanic AMC (35.2% S) (61.2% R) (3.6% I) (S = sensitive, R = resistant, I = intermediate sensitive) Ampicillin (26.5%S) (70.1%R) (3.4%I) I) Ceftazidime. Avibactam CZA (28.2% S) (67.3% R) (4.2% I) Cefexime (27.4%S) (64.5%R) (8.1% I) CefepimeFEP (35.5% S) (52.0% R) (12.6%I) Ceftazidime CAZ (38.3% S)(55.0% R)(6.7% I), Ceftriaxone CRO (40.2% S)(1.4% R,) (8.1% I) Ciprofloxacin CIP (42.2%S)(53.4%R)(4.2%I) Co. Trimoxazole SXT (45.8%S)(48.3%R)(5.6%I) Colistin (49.7% S) (43.3% R) (6.4% I) Doxycycline DC (50.6% S) (48.9% R) (0.3% I), Ertapenem (53.1% S)  (43.9% R) (2.8% I) Imipenem IPM (52.0% S)(47.2% R)(0.3% I) Levofloxacin LEV (55.9%S), , (42.2%R), (1.4%I) Meropenem MEM (57.0%S)(40.2%R)(2.5%I) Minocycline (57.0%S) (39.9%R) (2.9%I), Pip Tazobactam TZP (58.7%S) (38.8%R) (2.2%I), and Tigecycline (59.2%S) (39.1%R) (1.4%I). The results highlight the critical need for alternate treatment approaches and antimicrobial stewardship initiatives to counteract the rise in resistance.