Resistance Profile of Klebsiella pneumoniae Strains Isolated at the Yaounde General Hospital and the Yaounde Gyneco-Obstetric and Pediatric Hospital

Introduction: Dissemination of resistant bacteria is responsible for a considerable increase in mortality, morbidity and cost of treatment. Our study aimed to determine the frequency of Klebsiella pneumoniae infections in two referral hospitals in Yaounde Cameroon, and to examine the antibiotic resistance profile. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out for a five-month period. Samples were collected from in and out- patients at the Yaounde General Hospital and at the Yaounde Gyneco-Obstetric and Pediatric Hospital. The bacteria isolation was done using standard bacteriological procedures and the identification of Klebsiella pneumoniae species was done using API 20E sytem (Biomerieux). Antibiotic susceptibility testing was determined using the disc diffusion method on Mueller Hinton media and the interpretation of the antibiogram was performed as recommended by the Comité de l’Antibiogramme de la Société Française de Microbiologie (2019). The data collected were analyzed with Epi Info 7.0 software and Excel 2013. Results: The frequency of Klebsiella pneumoniae infections was 2.48% (52/2096). The majority of Klebsiella pneumoniae strains were isolated from urinary tract infections 55.77% (29/52). Most isolates were recovered from in-patients 63.46% (33/52) received at the pediatrics unit 25.0% (13/52). Few isolates were resistant to imipenem and meropenem with a resistance rate of 3.85% (2/52) each, while a considerable number of isolates were highly resistant to antibiotics such as ticarcillin 96.15% (50/52), amoxicillin + clavulanic acid 94.23% (49/52) and piperacillin 86.54% (45/52). The majority of isolates 73.08% (38/52) were multidrug-resistant and one isolate was resistant to all tested antibiotics (superbug). Conclusion: More than half of the isolates were multidrug-resistant and one isolate from an in-patient was found to be resistant to all tested antibiotics. These findings demonstrate the importance of establishing an effective surveillance system for antimicrobial resistance in Cameroon.