Bacterial Agents and Their Multidrug‐Resistance Profile Among Patients Suspected of Bacterial Infections in Hakim Gizaw Hospital, Debre Berhan, Ethiopia: A Cross‐Sectional Study

ABSTRACT Background and Aims Antimicrobial resistance is a global threat. Bacteria showed higher resistance in Ethiopia, and up‐to‐date data on it is urgently required for effective interventions. This study aimed to determine occurrence of multi‐drug‐resistant (MDR) bacterial isolates among patients presented to Hakim Gizaw Hospital (HGH). Methods A health‐facility based cross sectional study was conducted in HGH, Debre Berhan, Ethiopia. All patients presented to HGH and diagnosed bacterial infections were eligible for the study. Depending on the clinical presentation of the patient, different clinical samples were investigated in microbiology laboratory following standard operating procedures. The analysis was carried out using SPSS version 27. Results A total of 252 study participants were included in the analysis. The gender distribution was nearly equal, with 128 (50.8%, 128/252) females. Among all participants, 103 (40.9%, 103/252) were culture positive, irrespective of whether one or two bacterial isolates (polymicrobial) were identified. The prevalence of Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative bacteria was 26% (65/252) and 20% (50/252), respectively. Among all bacteria, S. aureus (40%, 46/115) was the predominant followed by E. coli (11.3%, 13/115). E. coli showed higher resistant to Ciprofloxacin (CIP), Doxycycline (DOX), Trimethoprim‐sulfamethozole (SXT), Cefoxitin (FOX), and Ceftaroline (CTR) (all ≥ 61.5%). K. pneumonia showed resistant from 27.3%–90.9%, with low resistant against GM and high resistant against Ampicillin (AM, 90.9%) and Amoxicilin‐clavulanate (AMC, 90.9%). S. aureus showed higher resistant against CIP (58.7%), SXT (60.9%), and Erythromycin (E, 67.4%). MDR rate was 66.1% (72/109). Among Gram‐negative bacteria, the prevalence of ESBLs and carbapenemase production was 66% (33/50) and 44% (22/50), respectively. Only age greater than 18 years old was significantly associated with MDR positive. Conclusions Many bacterial infections were linked with high MDR bacterial isolates. However, few patient characteristics were shown statistical significance association. Thus, diagnosis and treatment of patients must be evidence based.