Prevalence of non-fermenting gram negative bacilli and their in vitro susceptibility pattern in a tertiary care hospital of Uttarakhand: A study from foothills of Himalayas

Abstract

Introduction: Non-fermenting gram negative bacilli (NFGNB) are taxonomically diverse group of pathogens that has emerged as a major cause of health care associated infections especially in immunocompromised hosts. Identification of NFGNB and monitoring their susceptibility pattern are important for proper management of infections caused by them. Prevalence and antibiogram of NFGNB has not yet been reported from this part of India. Aim of the present study was to characterize the prevalence of NFGNB along with their antimicrobial sensitivity pattern among the patients coming to our hospital a tertiary care center. Materials and Methods: A total of 2585 various clinical specimens were received in laboratory and were processed. Non fermenters were identified using a standard protocol. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method. Results: Among 2585 clinical samples 241 yielded NFGNB accounting for an isolation rate of 9.32% and a total of 246 non fermenters were grown as five samples yielded two types of NFGNB. Pseudomonas species (49.59%) and Acinetobacter species (43.09%) were the most commonly isolated NFGNB. A high level of antibiotic resistance was recorded for most of the first and second line drugs. Imipenem and amikacin were the drugs with maximum activity. Overall imipenem resistance was found to be 30.54%. Conclusion: Identification of NFGNB and monitoring their susceptibility patterns will help in proper management of infections caused by them. Improved antibiotic stewardship and infection-control measures will be needed to prevent or slow the emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant NFGNB in the healthcare setting.