Bacteriological Profile and Antimicrobial Sensitivity Pattern in Sterile Body Fluids from a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Cross Sectional Study

Dr. Bhawana Bajare, Dr. Rupali Lonare, Dr. Swati Bhise, Dr. Sunanda Shrikhande

Abstract: Introduction: Sterile body sites are those in which no bacteria or microbes exist as commensals in a healthy state. Fluids like pleural fluid, peritoneal fluid, synovial, and pericardial fluid are usually sterile. Infections of these sterile sites have greater clinical urgency and these infections could be life-threatening and may result in severe morbidity and mortality. Therefore, early identification of these organisms with antimicrobial susceptibility is decisive for the proper management of these infections. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between January 2022 to December 2022 in the department of Microbiology in tertiary care hospital, Nagpur. A total of 534 sterile fluid samples from patients with suspected body fluid infections were processed using conventional microbiological methods and pathogens isolated & their antibiotic susceptibility testing was done by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Result: Amongst 534 samples, 130 (24.34%) fluids samples showed growth of organisms. Isolates from different fluids were E. coli (30.65%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (27%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (21.16%), Acinetobacter spp. (15.32%), Staphylococcus aureus (3.64%), Citrobacter spp. (2.9%) and Proteus spp. (0.72%). Gram negative isolates were mostly sensitive to carbapenems and Gram positive isolates were sensitive to linezolid (100%). About 33% of S. aureus isolates in our study were MRSA. Conclusion: Timely and appropriate antibiotic treatment; often empiric, can improve the clinical outcome of body fluid infections. Hence, knowledge of bacterial pathogens and their antibiogram pattern, prevalent in a locality, needs to be available and updated on a regular basis.

Keywords: Body fluids, Antimicrobial Resistance, MRSA