Clinical profile of patients and antibiogram of Enterococcus species isolated from various clinical samples in a tertiary care Hospital

Background: Enterococci are gram-positive cocci that cause nosocomial infections are also known to be resistant to standard antibiotics. As antibiotic resistance is a serious concern among pathogenic bacteria it is important to use antibiotics judiciously, ethically, and in accordance with available research. The present study aimed at assessing the prevalence and determining treatment options for enterococcal infections in a tertiary care hospital. Materials and Methods: All the samples were collected from the admitted patients at Index Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Indore, and the study was approved by the Institutional Ethical Committee (MU/Research/EC/Ph.D./2021/58). A total of 106 Enterococcal isolates were collected from December 2021 to November 2023 and analyzed for distribution of Enterococcal species among various locations in the hospital and the samples studied. Detection of antibiotic susceptibility testing was done by Kirby Bauer’s disc diffusion method. Result: MICU ward yielded the highest percentage of patients, positive for Enterococcus species 36 (33.96%), followed by medicine ward, 27 (25.47%), OBGY, 16 (15.09%), and cath lab, 1 (0.94%) respectively. Among the type of disease encountered, urinary tract infections accounted for 73% (77) of the patients, followed with bloodstream infections (BSI) 12 (11%), pyogenic infections10 (10%), surgical site infections at 06 (4%), and other infections, 04 (2%). Out of 106 isolates 92% were resistant for erythromycin followed by 87% for penicillin, 73% for doxycycline, 68% for ciprofloxacin, and 64% for High-level Gentamicin (HLG).  Linezolid and vancomycin are the most sensitive antimicrobials against Enterococcus species in the present study. Conclusion: It might be possible that the increased usage of higher class antibiotics like vancomycin and linezolid leads to develop resistance for these drugs too in the future. Judicious use of the antibiotics in the hospital set up is necessary to prevent the development of drug resistance in Enterococcus species.