Prevalence of multidrug-resistant bacteria associated with polymicrobial infections.

BACKGROUND: Wounds remain the most important cause of postoperative mortality and morbidity and generate considerable additional social and healthcare costs. Most wounds are caused by various coliforms, Enterococcus fecalis, Proteus sp., and multidrug resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Wound is one of the leading cause of infections in the under developed and developing countries than developed nations.

METHODS: A total of 43 samples associated with bacteremia and wound infection were collected. Biochemical characterization and culture characteristics of the drug resistant isolates were studied using MacConkey agar, blood agar and mannitol-salt agar. Antibiotic susceptibility analysis of the isolated strains was performed by disc diffusion method using various antibiotics. Prevalence of dug resistance among bacteria isolated from the wound was studied. The ability of Beta lactamase antibiotic producing bacterial strains were analyzed.

RESULTS: A total of 168 bacterial strains were isolated showed high resistant towards ampicillin (89%), ciprofloxacin (90.8), cefepine (90.5), piperacillin (91.8), oxacillin (92.5), and imipenem (96.5). The isolated bacterial strains showed monobacterial as well as polybacterial growth on the surface of the wound. The isolated bacterial strains revealed 89% sensitivity against norfloxacin and 94.9 sensitivity against vancomycin. About 26% of bacterial strains degraded quinolones, whereas only 14% clinical isolates showed their ability to degrade aminoglycosides. A total of 27% bacteria degraded tetracycline and 51% of isolates degraded carbapenems compounds. Interestingly, E. faecalis was resistant against antibiotics such as, Oxacillin, Nalidic acid, Ofloxacin, Erythromycin, Norfloxacin, Ciprofloxacin, Ampicillin, Tetracycline, Cefepine, Amikacin, Cefurooxime, Vancomycin, Piperacillin, Imipenem and Gentamycin. Moreover, Proteus species was resistant against certain numbers of antibiotics namely, Ampicillin, Piperacillin, Oxacillin, Nalidic acid, Tetracycline, Erythromycin, Cefurooxime, Nitrofurantoin, Vancomycin and Imipenem.

CONCLUSIONS: The isolated bacterial strains were resistant against various drugs including vancomycin. Staphylococci, and E. faecalisis strains showed resistance against various classes of antibiotics.