Multiple antibiotic resistance index of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from clinical specimens in a tertiary hospital in Benin City, Nigeria

Background: Klebsiella pneumoniae is a commensal of the gastrointestinal tract but has been associated with hospital associated- and community infections. In this investigation, K. pneumoniae that was isolated from several clinical specimens of patients at a tertiary hospital in Benin City was evaluated for its multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index.  Methods: A total of 100 clinical isolates of K. pneumoniae from the hospital’s inpatients and outpatients were employed. By using conventional microbiological techniques, isolates were identified. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was carried out and MAR index was calculated.  Results: The susceptibility test showed that K. pneumoniae exhibited high level of multidrug resistance with a total of 24 isolates resistant to the 12 antibiotics tested. The MAR index ranged from 0.42 to 1.00 with the mean value of 0.7994. The K. pneumoniae isolates from clinical specimens of inpatients showed a higher MAR index of 0.82 than that of outpatients (0.74).  Conclusion: These findings present a major public health concern. Concerted efforts that emphasize antimicrobial stewardship must be put in place to mitigate this problem.