Antibiotic Resistance Patterns among Gram-negative Bacteria from Patients with Urinary Tract Infection at a Healthcare Center in Ekiti-State, Nigeria

Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) are huge health burden. This study determined the current incidence of antibiotic resistance among Gram-negative bacteria from patients with UTI at a health center in Ado Ekiti, Nigeria. One hundred and twenty two mid-stream urine samples were collected and cultured. Sixty-four samples (52.4%) grew significant bacteria. Gram-negative bacterial colonies were picked per plate, identified and tested for susceptibility to the following antibiotics: Ertapenem (10µg), meropenem (10µg), ceftazidime (30µg), ceftriaxone (30µg), gentamicin (10µg), ampicillin (10µg), tetracycline (30µg), norfloxacin (10µg) and pefloxacin (5µg). Thirty-nine isolates were selected for extended spectrum beta-lactamase production using the double disk synergy test. All the bacteria were tested for biofilms and haemolysis. Sixty-four Gram-negative bacterial isolates were recovered from 64 samples. The bacteria recovered included K. pneumonia, K. oxytoca, P. vulgaris, E. coli, P. mirabilis and P. aeruginosa. Overall, the bacteria showed the highest resistance to ampicillin 60/64 (94.5%) and least resistance to meropenem 18/64 (28.1%). All the bacteria tested for ESBL production were confirmed as ESBL producers. Twenty-two (34.3%) isolates were strong biofilm producers while 19 isolates were haemolytic (29.7%). These findings have serious implications to medical care and public health. Strict antibiotic stewardship should be enforced.