Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance Bacteria in a Healthcare Facility at an Industrial Site in Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to perform surveillance and identify antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the most common pathogenic bacteria in a healthcare facility in Rabigh City, Saudi Arabia.

Methods: A total of 1,933 samples were processed from patients during the study period from January 2022 to June 2022. Identification and antimicrobial susceptibility of the cultured isolates were performed using the MicroScan system.

Results: Out of the 1,933 tested samples, 11.1% (n = 214) were positive for bacterial growth. A relatively higher percentage of isolates was recovered from patients older than 50 years (55.9%). Gram-negative bacteria (67.3%) were significantly more prevalent than Gram-positive bacteria (32.7%). The Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria comprised mainly Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Staphylococ-cus epidermidis and coagulase-negative staphylococci were found at relatively high abundance in Gram-positive bacteria. Increased resistance to carbapenem antibiotics was observed in K. pneumoniae. In Gram-positive bac¬teria, > 50% of the isolates of S. epidermidis were resistant to 13 tested antimicrobial agents.

Conclusions: This study provided an overview of the distribution of pathogenic bacteria and antimicrobial susceptibility of the prevalent Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogenic bacteria in a major healthcare facility in Saudi Arabia. It highlights the importance of continuously monitoring AMR bacteria in healthcare settings to ensure the effective use of antibiotics for treatment.