DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2018.v06i07.017

Pages: 2697-2703

COPD is a common preventable and treatable disease characterised by persistent airfloe limitation that is usually progressive and associated with an enhanced inflammatory response. Acute Exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is defined as an acute change in a patient’s baseline dyspnea, cough and /or sputum beyond day-to-day variability sufficient to warrant change in therapy. Exacerbation may be triggered by infection with bacteria or viruses or by environmental pollutants. Typically infections cause 75% of exacerbations of which 25%are due to bacteria, 25%are due to virus and 25% are due to both virus and bacteria. The aim of this study was to identify the bacteria and their sensitivity pattern to antibiotics in AE-COPD.This was a cross sectional study conducted on 50 patients with acute exacerbations of COPD who got admitted in government hospital .the study group and comprised of both sexes with their age ranging from 40 to 86 years .all patients who got admitted because of acute exacerbation of COPD were included excluding those with known PTB ,Bronchial Asthma, Lung Cancer, Pneumonia, Bronchiectasis, Lung Abscess and Ischemic heart disease and those patients who already received antibiotics before admission were also excluded. Early morning samples of sputum were collected and cultured on 5%SHEEP BLOOD AGAR as enriched medium, Macconkey’s medium as differential medium and Levinthal’s medium. After overnight incubation, sensitivity testing was done for various antibiotics. In the study population 26 (56%) patients had Gram negative organisms 14(28%) patients had Gram positive organisms and 10 (20%) had normal flora. Most of the Gram negative bacteria showed susceptibility to cephalosporins, aminoglycosides, and quinolones. Streptococcus pneumonia and Staph aureus showed susceptibility to ceftriaxone, cefoperazone-sulbactam, piperacillin-tazobactam. Bacterial pathogens particularly Gram negative organisms are the chief etiological agents in AE-