DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2013.v01i06.0062

Pages: 928-933

Antimicrobial resistance is not only increasing the healthcare costs, but also the severity and death rates from certain infections that could have been avoided by prudent and rational use of the existing and newer antimicrobial agents. Prudent and rational use of antimicrobial is possible by forming local, national and global wide Antibiogram. Respiratory tract infection (RTI) is common infection worldwide and numbers of patients are presenting to general practice and inpatient department. Both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria are involved in causing RTI. Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) is one of the most common causative agents of RTI and it has also become important pathogens in nosocomial infections causing RTI. This study is done to find out the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of K. pneumoniae isolated from sputum, causing respiratory tract infection in tertiary care hospital, Surendranagar, Gujarat. Total 512 sputum samples were collected and tested bacteriologically using standard procedures. Culture positivity of urine samples was found to be 29 %. The most common pathogens were K. pneumoniae (39.5 %) followed by Pseudomonas (25 %), E. coli (11.5 %), Staphylococci (11.5%) and others (3.8%). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done by disk diffusion method described by Kirby-Bauer (1961). K. pneumoniae is most sensitive for amikacin followed by gatifloxacin, chloramphenicol, cefipime, ciprofloxacin and cefoperazone plus sulbactam, if isolated from sputum. Considering the antibiotic susceptibility testing, cost, side effects and many other factors, gatifloxacin should be preferred for K. pneumoniae infection for RTI.