Abstract
Background: Respiratory tract infections are one of the commonest health issues globally. Pneumonia accounts nearly half of all deaths resulting from infectious diseases. The emergence of antibiotic resistance in the frequently isolated pathogens has complicated the use of the empiric therapy with traditional agents. The present study aims to determine the current gram negative bacterial isolates and their sensitivity pattern obtained from the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid of patients with suspected Pneumonia cases.
Methods: Samples received from the patients attending Alluri Sita Ramaraju Academy of Medical Sciences, Eluru, were processed according to the standard protocol over a period of one year, from August 2017 to July 2018. The antimicrobial susceptibility was tested by the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method as per the CLSI guidelines
Results: Out of 754 samples, 121(16.04%) were culture positive for gram negative bacilli. The highest isolation rate was observed in the 41-60 years age group with a male preponderance (76.85%). The most prevalent bacterial isolates included of the present study from BAL fluid are Klebsiella pneumoniae (57.02 %%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (29.75%). Resistance to cephalosporin’s was noted. However, majority of the isolates were sensitive to carbapenems, betalactum/betalactamase inhibitors and the aminoglycosides.
Conclusions: Regular surveillance and monitoring of bacterial isolates and their susceptibility is critical owing to antibiotic resistance and the changing patterns of the bacterial pathogens.
