Prevalence and Risk Factors of Klebsiella pneumoniae Infection Among Urine of Patients Attending Federal Teaching Hospital Katsina, Katsina State

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common infectious disease worldwide that affects people of all genders and ages, with women being more frequently affected due to anatomical and physiological factors. Escherichia coli is the most prevalent causative agent of UTIs, followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae, both of which belong to the family Enterobacteriaceae. While K. pneumoniae is less commonly isolated than E. coli, it is often associated with higher levels of antibiotic resistance, which can make treatment more difficult and outcomes potentially more severe in healthcare-associated infections. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors of Klebsiella pneumoniae in the urine of patients attending Federal Teaching Hospital Katsina, Katsina State, Nigeria. Mid-stream urine samples were collected from 200 patients. Structured questionnaires were administered to gather some socio-demographic and risk factors. The samples were inoculated onto sterile plates of MacConkey agar, incubated at 37 °C for 24 hours, and lactose-fermenting mucoid colonies were suspected to be K. pneumoniae. Pure isolates were identified by Gram staining, biochemical, and molecular characterization. In this study, sixteen (16) isolates, representing a prevalence of 8.0%, were presumptively identified as Klebsiella pneumoniae, while polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmed eleven (11) of these isolates, resulting in a confirmed prevalence of 5.5%. Socio-demographic factor that was significantly associated with the prevalence of urinary Klebsiella pneumoniae infection among the patients was the female gender. However, none of the risk factors considered in this study were significantly associated with the prevalence of infection among the study population.