Abstract
BackgroundBacterial infections are a significant cause of sickness and death in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed at establishing the prevalence, distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of major bacterial isolates from patients accessing medical care at a tertiary hospital in Malawi.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed bacteria culture and antimicrobial susceptibility records for 4617 patients from 2002 to 2014 at Mzuzu Central Hospital (MCH). No inclusion and exclusion criteria were followed. Data was analysed using excel (Microsoft office, USA) and GraphPad prism 7 software programs.ResultsThe most prevalent isolates were S. aureus (34.7%, n = 783), Klebsiella species (17.4%, n = 393) and Proteus species (11.4%, n = 256). Most microorganisms were isolated from adults (88.3%, n = 3889) and pus was the main source (69.3%, n = 1224). S. pneumoniae was predominantly isolated from cerebrospinal fluid (60.3%, n = 44) largely collected from children (88.2%, n = 64). Overall, most bacteria exhibited high resistance to all regularly used antimicrobials excluding ciprofloxacin.ConclusionsOur report demonstrates an increase in bacterial infection burden in sites other than blood stream and subsequent increase in prevalence of antimicrobial resistance for all major isolates. Creating an epidemiological survey unit at MCH will be essential to help inform better treatment and management options for patients with bacterial infections.
Highlights
Bacterial infections are a significant cause of sickness and death in sub-Saharan Africa
Out of 4617 patients who Analysis of isolates by source of specimen and hospital department To analyse the dynamics of bacterial infections, total number of specimens collected and isolates recovered were determined for each hospital department
Corresponding to the high number of samples collected, the Out Patient Department (OPD) had the highest number of bacterial isolates (784, 44.5%; Fig. 2a)
Summary
Bacterial infections are a significant cause of sickness and death in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed at establishing the prevalence, distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of major bacterial isolates from patients accessing medical care at a tertiary hospital in Malawi. Bacterial diseases remain the major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide [1]. Infectious diseases are predominant in Africa and are largely influenced by vulnerable population, social inequality and poor health delivery systems [1]. Kumwenda et al BMC Infectious Diseases (2021) 21:34 and fluoroquinolone resistance among common Gramnegative pathogens [5]. Important Gramnegative bacteria including Klesbsiella, E. coli, Salmonella, Shigella and Gram-positive bacteria such as S. pneumoniae, S. aureus, S. agalactae, (MRSA) across Africa have acquired resistance to the common essential antimicrobials being used in the region [8]
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