Evaluation of Antibiotic Resistance of Klebsiella Pneumoniae Isolated from Patients in Hospitals in Iraq

Abstract

The emergence of Multidrug-Resistant (MDR) Klebsiella pneumoniae is a significant health concern, given its severe impact on human health, mainly among young and elderly citizens. Understanding the need to explore the potential risk of K. pneumoniae infections, this study aimed to evaluate the presence and transmission of K. pneumoniae among hospital patients and determine the sensitivity and resistance of K. pneumoniae to multiple types of commonly used antibiotics. Primarily, clinical samples, including sputum, urine, blood, and wound, were taken from 120 patients aged 3–65 who visited the hospital for follow-up treatment in Ramadi, Iraq. Based on the result, 29 K. pneumoniae isolates were obtained, with a higher prev¬alence among patients aged 50–65 (45%). In addition, the isolates mainly originated from sputum (51.5%). Meanwhile, the antibiotic susceptibility test showed that most of the isolates were resistant to almost all of the 11 currently used antibiotics (piperacillin, azithromycin, ceftriaxone, cefepime, cefotaxime, ciproflox¬acine, ceftazidime, imipenem, levofloxacin, tetracyclin, and rifampin). Remarkably, the isolates recorded 100% resistance to rifampin, while most isolates showed the least resistance to imipenem at only 27.6%. Furthermore, the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of eight antibiotics at a concentration range of 16–256 μg/mL was tested against high antibiotic-resistant isolates, and the MIC for each isolate showed varying resistance strength.