Prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial isolates from blood samples referred to National Reference Laboratory, Ethiopia

Background: Blood stream infections are very common public health problem that are known to cause high case-fatality rates. Globally, approximately 200,000 cases of bacteraemia occur annually with mortality rates ranging from 20-50%. Early diagnosis and treatment of these infections can make the difference between life and death. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of bacterial isolates recovered from blood samples. Methods: This is a retrospective study that used data on blood culture test performed from 2010 to 2015 at Clinical Bacteriology and Mycology Laboratory of Ethiopian Public Health Institute. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 21. Frequency and percentage of variables was calculated. Chi-square test was used to show association between variables. Results: Of the 1327 blood samples processed, 156 (11.8%) of them were cultures positive for bacterial growth. Compared to other age groups, patients with age ranging from one month to seven years were highly affected. The most frequently isolated bacteria were Coagulase negative Staphylococcus 48(30.8%), S.aureus 31(19.9%), and Klebsiella pneumoniae 20(12.8%). Coagulase negative Staphylococcus isolates were less susceptible to penicillin and cotri-moxazole and alarmingly susceptible to clindamycin. Enterobacteriaceae have shown good susceptibility to chloramphenicol. Very close to 50% of the tested isolates were found to be Multi-drug resistant. Conclusion: The findings from this study demonstrate that the prevalence of bacteremia is considerably high and the antimicrobial resistance pattern of bacterial isolates is very alarming. Continuous monitoring of bacterial pathogens and their antimicrobial resistance pattern is necessary for proper treatment of patients and also for better prevention and containment of antimicrobial resistance