A Study on the Occurrence and Antibiotic Resistance Patterns of Klebsiella pneumoniae from Urine of Students in a Tertiary Institution

Abstract

Klebsiella pneumoniae is a common bacterium responsible for many cases of urinary tract infections (UTIs). The growing resistance of this organism to various antibiotics is reducing the number of effective treatment choices. The aim of this study is to ascertain the occurrence and antibiotic resistance patterns of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from urine of students in a tertiary institution. A total of 67 urine samples were collected aseptically from apparently heathy students. A loopful of each urine sample was inoculated on MacConkey agar for a significant bacterial growth. The isolates were identified using standard microbiological procedures. Results showed mean bacterial load of 1.7×104  cfu/ml from males and 2.1×104 cfu/ml from females. Out of 67 urine samples collected, 17 (25.37%) yielded positive growth of Klebsiella pneumoniae. The male students had 6 (18.75%) from 32 urine samples while female students had 11 (31.43%) from 35 urine samples. There was no significant difference (p˃0.05) in the prevalence rates among the male and female students.  Isolated organisms had varying degrees of resistance on the antibiotics used. Klebsiella pneumoniae from males had resistance to the following antibiotics: amoxicillin at 83.3%; streptomycin and ofloxacin at 50% respectively; cotrimoxazole, augmentin and pefloxacin at 66.67% respectively; gentamycin at 83.3% while Klebsiella pneumoniae from females had resistance on amoxicillin at 81.82%; streptomycin at 54.53%; sparfloxacin at 72.73%; ciprofloxacin at 63.64%. Generally, the isolates from females had more resistance to the antibiotics than the males. Multidrug resistance (MDR) index ranged from 0.1 to 0.5 for males and 0.2 to 0.9 for females. The high prevalence of Klebsiella pneumoniae and MDR index among the students in the study was a threat to their health and indicative of poor personal hygiene. Therefore, public enlightenment programmes should be carried out to educate them on the prevention of urinary tract infections.