MICROBIOLOGICAL PROFILE AND ANTIBIOGRAM OF BLOOD STREAM INFECTIONS IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL IN SOUTHERN RAJASTHAN

Abstract

Background: Bloodstream infections are known to cause considerable disability and death among hospitalized patients worldwide. Blood culture is the single most important procedure for bacterial isolation and detection. The aim of the present study was to determine the bacteriological and mycological prole of BSI and their antibiotic susceptibility patterns among clinically suspected cases. A retrospective study wasMethods: conducted over a period of 2 years from August 2018 to August 2020. Blood culture bottles received from patients of all ages and both sexes with suspected history of fever of unknown origin were put up in BacT/Alert 3D system. The bottles which agged positive were sub-cultured on Blood agar and MacConkey agar from which identication and antibiotic susceptibility of the isolates was performed using the Vitek-2 system. The reporting of the antibiotic susceptibilities was as per CLSI. From a total 7230 blood cultures, growth was observed in 1256 samplesResults: (1256/7230 17.37%). Only 681 isolates (681/1256 9.41%) were considered pathogenic, out of which 587 were Gram-negative bacilli (587/681 86.19%), 74 were Gram-positive cocci (74/681 10.86%) and the remaining 20 were fungal isolates (20/681 2.93%). Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus were the main pathogens isolated. A MDR pattern was observed primarily in K. pneumoniae, Acinetobacter spp. and Enterococcus spp. with other Gram-positive cocci susceptible to vancomycin and linezolid and the Gram-negative bacilli showed sensitivity to imipenem followed by amikacin. Our ndings underscore the need of periodic surveillance of blood cultureConclusion: isolates for etiologic agents, their antibacterial and antifungal susceptibility patterns that will inuence appropriate empirical treatm