Bacterial etiology, antimicrobial resistance and factors associated with community acquired pneumonia among adult hospitalized patients in Southwest Ethiopia

Antibiotic resistance is a significant problem that restricts the options for treating bacterial pneumonia. This research aimed to determine the bacterial causes of pneumonia and antibiotic resistance among hospitalized patients in southwest Ethiopia.

We collected and analyzed 150 sputum samples from individuals with community-acquired pneumonia from April 1st to October 30th, 2019. Standard bacteriological procedures were used to identify the bacteria. Kirby Bauer's disk diffusion method was used to assess the bacteria's susceptibility patterns. Production of carbapenemase and extended-spectrum-lactamase were confirmed phenotypically. Odds ratios and the chi-square test were computed.

On the whole, bacterial pathogens were verified in 50% of the sputum samples. The predominant bacterial isolates were Klebsiella species, followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae. About 77.5% of isolates were multidrug resistant. Moreover, 40.5% and 10.8% of the isolates were ESBL and carbapenemase producers, respectively. Aging, tobacco smoking, previous history of pneumonia, heart disease, and chronic respiratory disease had association with sputum culture-positivity.

As a result, it is important to regularly monitor the bacterial etiologies and their patterns of resistance. Additionally, sociodemographic and clinical characteristics should all be taken into account while managing patients with pneumonia empirically in this context.