Introduction: Lower respiratory tract infection is a common infection and accounts for a greaterburden of disease worldwide. It is a great challenge to the clinician and still more, with increasingantimicrobial resistance. Its empirical treatment may vary according to the type of causativeorganisms. The objective of this study is to identify the pathogenic microorganisms and theirantimicrobial susceptibility pattern from sputum sample.
Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in KIST Medical College andTeaching Hospital from February 2015 to January 2016. Ethical approval was taken from institutionalreview committee prior to the study with reference no. 0051/2014/15. Data on culture and sensitivityof isolates from sputum samples were collected from the records of the hospital. Sample collection,processing, identification of microorganisms and antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performedaccording to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. All the data were tabulatedin an Excel sheet and analyzed using SPSS version 20.
Results: Out of 2318 samples, 694 (29.93%) sputum samples at 95% confidence interval (737.21-650.79) were reported as culture positive. Klebsiella was the most common isolate followedby Pseudomonas, Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans,Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes, and others. Imipenem and vancomycin showedthe most sensitivity towards gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria respectively.
Conclusions: Proper diagnosis, identification of causative agents and their antimicrobial susceptibilitypattern are important steps to limit the irrational use of antimicrobials. Prescribing antimicrobialsempirically in the case of suspected lower respiratory tract infection is difficult.
Bacteria from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from children with suspected chronic lower respiratory tract infection: results from a multi-center, cross-sectional study in Spain
