CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE AND ANTIBIOGRAM OF PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA ISOLATED FROM TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL OF BIRGUNJ, NEPAL

Objective This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of P. aeruginosa as well as to assess their antibiotic susceptibility pattern in a tertiary hospital. Material and Methods P. aeruginosa isolated from various clinical samples were tested for antibiotic susceptibitlity with Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) by E-test strips. Imipenem resistant isolates were tested for production of metallo-β-lactamase by imipenem-EDTA disk method. Results Eleven imipenem-resistant isolates were positive for MBL production by imipenemEDTA disk diffusion test. Compared with non-MBL-producing imipenem-resistant P. aeruginosa, MBL-producing isolates were more likely to be resistant to other antibiotics. Conclusion There exists high percentage of MBL producers among imipenem resistant isolates. The necessity of screening all imipenem-resistant isolates for MBL production and implementation of infection control programs to prevent spread of such organisms