GRAM-NEGATIVE BACTERIA IN SOME CLINICAL SPECIMENS AND THEIR ANTIBIOTICS RESISTANCE PROFILES, SANA’A, YEMEN

Abstract

Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) have emerged globally as significant public health problems owing to their high resistance to antibiotics, particularly in developing countries such as Yemen. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the antibiotic resistance profile of GNB isolated from clinical samples in Sana’a City, Yemen. A total of 420 clinical samples, including vaginal swabs, urine, and pus, were collected from patients who attended some hospitals in Sana’a City, Yemen, in 2018. The collected specimens were examined according to standard microbiological methods, and the isolated bacteria were tested against some antibacterial agents using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method on Mueller-Hinton agar. Among 420 specimens, the prevalence of gram-negative bacteria infections was 49.76%. A high rate of GNB was reported among the age group of 41–50 years old (57.97%), female patients (52.19%), those who came from rural areas (60.0%), and those who were uneducated (86.56%). The vaginal specimens exhibited a higher prevalence of bacterial bacteria (60.42%), followed by urine (51.28%) and pus (35.0%). Escherichia coli accounted for the greatest proportion of bacteria recovered from the study's patients (36.62%), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (18.66%), Enterobacter sp. (12.32%), Acinetobacter sp. (10.92%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (9.15%), Citrobacter sp. (6.34%), and Proteus mirabilis (5.99%). E. coli was highly resistant to imipenem and enrofloxacin. Similarly, K. pneumoniae and P. aeruginosa were highly resistant to imipenem and norfloxacin. About 62.86% of Enterobacter sp. isolates were resistant to imipenem. In addition, 83.33–78.97% of Acinetobacter sp. isolates were resistant to imipenem and meropenem. Citrobacter sp. had high resistance to norfloxacin. Additionally, over 50% of P. mirabilis isolates were resistant to ofloxacin, norfloxacin, cefuroxime, and ceftizoxime. The conclusion is that there exists a significant proportion of GNB prevalence and antibacterial resistance among the study subjects. Therefore, multisectoral approach is needed for implementing effective strategies to reduce the transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria among the community.