Bacteriological Profile of Catheter Associated Urinary TractInfection and ItsAntimicrobial Susceptibility Pattern in TertiaryCare Hospita

Introduction: Synthetic, such as Foley catheters, significantly advance in modern medicine but are associated with CAUTI, a major cause of hospital acquired infection. Defined by the CDC, CAUTIs occur in patients with indwelling catheters and accounts for 40-50% of all hospital infection. Common pathogens include Escherichia coli and Klebsiella, while environmental organisms like Pseudomonas aeruginosa are also implicated. This study aims to assess Bacteriological profile of catheter associated urinary tract infection and its antimicrobial susceptibility pattern in tertiary care hospital. Material and Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted at a tertiary care teaching hospital over one year, involving 300 catheterized patients. Urine sample were collected using a sterile needle from the catheter under asepctic condition.patients catheterized for atleast 78 hrs. are included and patients catheterized prior admission, having UTI before catheterized, having suprapubic catheter are excluded. Urine sample collected from patients transported to the department of microbiology witihin two hours culture done by semi-quantative method on blood and MacConkey agar, with significant results defined as ≥105  CFU. Antimicrobial susceptibility done by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method following CLSI guideline. Results: Out of 300 catheterised patients, 34 (11.3%) patients developed CAUTI. Out of 300 patients, 188 (63%) were female and 112 (37%) were male. In present study, females were affected more than males. The highest infection rate was found in age group of 41-60 years. Out of total 34 total isolates, 32 were Gram negative bacteria and 2 were Gram positive bacteria. Most common isolate was found to be Escherichia coli (47%), followed by Klebsiella spp. (32.3%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (14.7%), and Coagulase-negative Staphylococci (CONS) (5.8%) Conclusion: The findings highlights the rising challenge of antimicrobial resistance and the need for effective infection control measures and targeted antimicrobial therapy in hospital settings.