Bacterial Profile and Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern of Lower Respiratory Tract Infections in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Sputum samples are often sent to the Microbiology laboratory for the diagnosis of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs). LRTIs account for a major burden of disease in all age groups especially in infants and elderly. Knowledge of pathogens causing these infections and their sensitivity patterns can be helpful in selection of appropriate antimicrobial therapy. Aim: To know the spectrum of bacteria isolated from sputum samples and to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of the isolates. Material and Methods: This study was conducted from February 2018 to January 2019 in the Department of Microbiology at RIMS, Ranchi. The sputum samples received were processed to isolate and identify bacterial pathogens as per standard bacteriological techniques. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was done by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Result: Out of 268 samples processed 130 (48.51 %) were culture positive. Klebsiella pneumoniae 42/130 (32.31 %) was the most common organism isolated followed by Staphylococcus aureus 34 /130 (26.15 %) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa 24/130 (18.46 %). Sensitivity of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was good to imipenem and piperacillin-tazobactum. Staphylococcus aureus isolates showed high susceptibility to vancomycin and linezolid. Conclusion: Changing antimicrobial resistance poses a challenge in treating LRTIs. Hence periodical monitoring of respiratory pathogens and their antimicrobial susceptibility is needed to assess the trends in etiological and sensitivity patterns for effective management of these infections.