Bacteriological Profile and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Wound Pathogens among Patients in NAUTH, Nnewi, Nigeria

Abstract

Wound infections increase the chances of wound dehiscence and delay wound healing. This study investigated the bacterial species isolated from wound swabs and their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns among patients in Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Anambra State. A cross-sectional approach was used for this study in which subjects were selected using a random sampling technique. A total of ninety (90) swab samples were collected from the wounds of males and females of different age groups, and the samples were analysed using routine microbiological techniques such as culture, biochemical tests and antimicrobial susceptibility tests. The prevalent bacteria species isolated after culturing the samples were Staphylococcus aureus 32 (35.6%), followed by Klebsiella species and Proteus species 19 (21.1%), then Escherichia coli 11(12.2%), and the least prevalent bacteria isolated were Pseudomonas aeruginosa 6(6.7%). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed that gram-positive isolates were most susceptible to Levofloxacin (LEV) while the gram-negative isolates were most susceptible to Ofloxacin (OFX). This study found 87(96.7%) bacterial isolates, which represents the prevalence of wound infection among the patients. The findings highlight the importance of mandatory antimicrobial susceptibility testing for wound patients and targeted antibiotic therapy to improve wound healing outcomes and combat antimicrobial resistance.