Pathogenic Bacteria and their Susceptibility to Antimicrobial Agents at Abouzar Children Hospital, Ahvaz, Iran

Background: Antibiotic-resistant Gram negative bacteria are increasingly emerging as serious causes of infections than ever before. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study examined the pattern of pathogenic bacterial isolates and their susceptibilities to antimicrobial agents at Abouzar Children Hospital, Ahavz-Iran, between Jan and July 2005. Results: Of the 216 bacterial isolates from 193 patients, 156 (72.3%) were from urine, 25 (11.6%) from blood, 10 (4.7%) from stool, 14 (6.4%) from cerebrospinal fluid, 5 (2.3%) from wound and 6 (2.7%) from sputum. The organisms included E. coli 121 (56%), Klebsiella pneumoniae 30 (13.9%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa 20 (9.3%), S. aureus 16 (7.4%), Shigella spp 7 (3.3%), S. typhi 7 (3.2%), Enterobacter spp 4 (1.8%), Heamophillus influenza 6 (2.8%), Pneumococcus 3 (1.4%), Citrobacter spp 1 (0.5%), Neisseria spp 1 (0.5%). Of the 121 E. coli isolated, 73.8 % and 73.6 % were resistant to Nalidixic acid and Nitroforantoin, respectively; another 69.6 % these isolates were resistant to Co-trimaxazole. Similarly, 66 % and 44 % of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were resistant to Co-trimaxazole. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of urinary tract infections and high incidence of multi-drug resistant bacteria, particularly gram negative bacteria, at Abouzar children hospital.