Prevalence of Multidrug-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolates from Infected Wounds and Burns at A Tertiary Care Hospital in Syria

Klebsiella pneumoniae is a critical opportunistic pathogen and a major concern for public health, associated with a broad spectrum of hospital-acquired infections that are often resistant to conventional therapies. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance patterns of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from patients with wound and burn infections. A total of 90 clinical specimens were collected from patients admitted to the General Surgery and Burn & Plastic Surgery Departments. Identification of Klebsiella pneumoniae was conducted based on colony morphology, Gram staining, and biochemical tests following cultivation on selective media. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method, and multidrug-resistant (MDR) isolates were characterized. Klebsiella pneumoniae was isolated in 30 out of 90 samples, representing an isolation rate of 33.33%. The majority of isolates (65.6%) were from male patients. The isolates exhibited high susceptibility to colistin (63.3%) but were highly resistant to most other antibiotics tested. All isolates displayed 100% resistance to Aztreonam, Ampicillin/Sulbactam, and Erythromycin. Moreover, all isolates were classified as MDR, with resistance phenotypes ranging from four groups of antibiotics (3.33%) to eleven groups (13.33%). The study reveals the high prevalence and extensive antimicrobial resistance of Klebsiella pneumoniae in wound and burn infections, and its significant role in nosocomial infections that are challenging to manage due to multidrug resistance. Consequently, the research emphasizes the necessity for focused prevention and monitoring strategies, along with the judicious and targeted use of antibiotics, to help mitigate the spread of these resistant strains.