Etiology and antimicrobial susceptibility profile of bacteria isolated from patients with meningitis

Ghulam Jilany khan¹*, Fauzia Tajdin^1,2, Nadeem Reyaz³

¹Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore.

²Department of Microbiology, The Children’s Hospital and Institute of Child Health, Lahore.

³Department of Pathology, University of Health Sciences, Lahore.

*Corresponding Author E-mails: u4574904@hotmail.com; Contact: +92-333-4574904.

Accepted 25 July, 2013

Abstract

The aim of this prospective study was the determination of etiology and antimicrobial susceptibility profile of bacteria. This study includes 276 culture positive cases of patients aging from newborn to 15 years age group. The method involves the pathogen identification and antibiotic sensitivity testing. The pathogens were isolated from CSF samples of the admitted patients, identified and purified by selective culturing methods, which were subjected to active growth, during which sensitivity to different antibiotics was checked and measured with area marked by the zone of inhibition as well as by Clinical Laboratory Standards interpretations (CLSI). Gram negative bacteria were found in 145 patients and most occurring bacteria were Pseudomonas spp (23.7%), E.coli (6.5%), 10.5% of Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter spp, Proteus spp, Acinetobacter baumanii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In this study, gram negative bacteria were found to be the major cause of bacterial meningitis, majority of which is resistant to antibiotics used in common practice that needs careful selection of drugs for the treatment.

Keywords: Bacterial meningitis, Cerebrospinal fluid, Sensitivity pattern.