High Prevalence of Multidrug-Resistant in Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolated from Hospitalized Patients in Hilla City

Abstract Background: Klebsiella pneumoniae is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium that belongs to the family Enterobacteriaceae. People with impaired immune systems who are hospitalized and suffering from serious underlying diseases are the most common victims of K. pneumoniae infections. Patients with this condition are more likely to get urinary tract infections, bloodstream infections, wound infections, and respiratory tract infections during admission in hospital. Objectives: Determine the prevalence of K. pneumoniae isolates that were resistant to antibiotics in the main hospitals in Hilla City, Iraq. Materials and Methods: The 155 clinical samples from various clinical specimens underwent preliminary species identification by conventional and biochemical techniques. Antimicrobial susceptibilities were determined using disk diffusion test (Kirby-Bauer technique) findings. Results: Only 32 isolates (21%) of K. pneumoniae were identified out of 155 samples. The percentages of the resistant toward these antibiotics were as follows: Augmentin 81%, Aztreonam 88%, Ceftazidime 75%, Cefixime 75%, Cephalothin 84%, Ceftriaxone 72%, Cefotaxime 72%, Doripenem 50%, Ertapenem 56%, Imipenem 47%, Meropenem 56%, Piperacillin/Tazobactam 78%, and Penicillin 100%. All of the isolates (100%) in the existing study were found to be resistant to Penicillin, yet 28% of isolates were resistant to all antibiotics. Further, 9% of isolates were resistant to 12 antibiotics, 6% of isolates were resistant to 11 antibiotics. This study also showed that most of the isolates of K. pneumoniae were 100% multidrug-resistant. Conclusions: Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates had high levels of resistance to all antibiotics; the age group of 21–37 was more vulnerable to infection than other age groups; women are more susceptible to infection than men.