ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE OF BACTERIA ISOLATED FROM RESPIRATORY TRACT INFECTIONS AMONGST PATIENTS IN SELECTED HOSPITALS OF DELTA STATE, NIGERIA

Antibiotic resistance is an alarming global health issue, specifically in developing countries like Nigeria, where misuse and overuse of antibiotics are significant contributors to the problem. This study aims to identify the microorganisms associated with respiratory tract infections in patients of selected hospitals and their antibiotic resistance patterns. A total of ninety (90) respiratory (Nasopharyngael) samples were collected from patients with suspected bacterial infections and cultured. The isolates were identified by standard microbiological techniques and assayed for their susceptibility to commonly used antibiotics using the disc-diffusion method. Out of the 106 isolates obtained, Streptococcus pyogenes was the most prevalent at 29.7% with high resistance to Amoxicillin (AM-30 µg) (65%) and Gentamicin (GN-10 µg) (32%) and low resistance to Ciprofloxacin (CPX-5ug) (16%) while Gram-negative isolates were most resistant to Ciprofloxacin (CPX-5ug) (100%) and most susceptible to Ceftriaxone (TRX- 30 µg) (100%). Multidrug resistance (MDR) was prevalent in both Gram-positive and Gram- negative isolates. Streptococcus pyogenes exhibited a 54% MDR rate, while Gram-negative bacteria, particularly Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, showed MDR rates as high as 100%. Chi-square analysis did not indicate any significant association between bacterial species and multidrug resistance presence (X2=2.004); (P=0.225). Only age was associated with the occurrence of respiratory infections amongst the socio-demographic variables tested (X2=35.714); (P=0.00) with those under 40 years of age exhibiting a higher incidence (35.7%) compared to those over 40. This study outcome draws attention to the growing incidence of antibiotic resistance in Delta State hospitals which should be of concern to public health regulatory agencies.