Non-target oral bacterial resistance to Cotrimoxazole in HIV/AIDS patients living in south-western Uganda

Abstract

Objective: This study was designed to assess the long-term effect of prolonged routine cotrimoxazole prophylaxis on non-target bacteria isolated from oral lesions of HIV/AIDS patients in South Western Uganda. Method: Exactly 605 swabs (469 from females and 136 from males), were randomly collected from oral lesions of The AIDS Support Organization (TASO) HIV/AIDS patients in 4 Districts of Uganda. Sample processing was done aseptically using standard Microbiological techniques. Randomized Block Design (α = 0.05) was used to compare both the prevalence and resistance of bacterial isolates. Results: In Mbarara/Bushenyi districts, bacteria prevalence was 50.4%, followed by 20.8% in Rukungiri and 20.3% in Masaka districts. Most bacteria from Rukungiri showed 100% resistance. In Mbarara/Bushenyi, S. aureus, B. catarrhalis and Non-hemolytic Streptococcus showed 100% resistance while B. cerius, S. aureus, E. coli and B. subtilis showed 100% resistance in Masaka. Bacteria prevalence was significantly (p<0.05) dependent on location and district of isolation. Different bacteria isolates significantly (p<0.05) differed in their response to different antibiotics tested. Conclusion: Despite its overall benefit, prolonged cotrimoxazole prophylaxis may have a long-term disadvantage such as the evolution of 100% resistance by non-target oral bacterial isolates recovered from HIV/AIDS patients living in Uganda. Keywords: Cotrimoxazole resistance, Non-target oral bacteria, HIV/AIDS patients