Antibiotic Resistance Patterns of Escherichia coli Isolates from Hospitals in Kumasi, Ghana

Abstract EN

Nosocomial infections are infections acquired by a patient as a result of treatment in a hospital or healthcare service providing center and symptoms occurs within a short period of hospitalization.

The study was to determine the antibiotic resistance patterns of Escherichia coli isolated from Kumasi-South, Tafo and Suntreso Hospitals, Kumasi, Ghana.

Total of 600 swabs samples from the hospitals were collected between January and June, 2010.

The isolates were identified using morphological and biochemical means.

A total of 97 E.

coli isolates were obtained from the hospitals.

Beds in hospital wards had the highest number of E.

coli strains (53.6%), followed by floors (20.6%) while drainages had the least isolates (3.1%).

Majority of the E.

coli isolates (90.7%) exhibited resistance to ampicillin while 6.2 and 3.1% showed intermediate and sensitive respectively.

Co-trimoxazole, 78.4% of the isolates were resistant while 9.3 and 12.4% exhibited intermediate and sensitive responses respectively.

E.

coli isolates (28.6 to 46.4%) were resistant to gentamicin, ciprofloxacin and ceftriaxone while 14.4 to 47.4% gave intermediate responses.

Most isolates (80.4%) exhibited multi-drug resistance.

There is a need to observe proper personal hygiene, use of effective disinfectants and proper disposal of contaminated/pathogenic materials in these hospitals to control nosocomial infections.