Pathophysiology of Multidrug Resistant Klebseilla pneumoniae Causing UTI Infection in Pregnant Women

Abstract

Increasing and indiscriminate use of antibiotics for human, veterinary, aquaculture and agriculture along with contamination of water and soil by pharmaceutical industries is the major of increased antimicrobial resistance in recent times. Among the microbes resistant to different drugs, urinary tract infections (UTI) are found to be the highest contributors to antibiotic resistance in microbes. The present study was intended to contribute towards the determination of prevalence of antibiotic resistance of Klebsiella pneumoniae, among patients suffering from urinary tract infections who visit hospitals for treatment. Among 2011 samples tested for UTI, 386 (19.34%) samples tested positive. Klebsiella accounted for 90 (23.23%) of the positive cases tested, and the isolates were extended-spectrum -lactamase (ESBL) producers with very high resistance to quinolones, aminoglycosides, carbapenems, and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, but were susceptible to polymixins, Nitrofurantoin, and levofloxacin. The highest prevalence was found among women within the age group of 24-27 years. Of the 90 isolates, 42 isolates were multi drug resistant (MDR) and 48 isolates were non-MDR. Molecular identification using 16S rDNA analysis showed that the isolates were highly resistant organisms and possessed a similarity of more than 99% with UTI isolates reported to have antibiotic resistance.