# Antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of pathogens isolated from surgical wound infections in tertiary care hospitals of Pakistan

## TL;DR

This study examines bacterial infections in surgical wounds in Pakistan and their resistance to antibiotics.

## Contribution

The study provides updated data on the prevalence and antibiotic resistance patterns of surgical wound pathogens in Pakistan.

## Key findings

- MRSA, Staph aureus, and E. coli were the most common pathogens isolated from wound infections.
- MRSA showed highest sensitivity to vancomycin and highest resistance to gentamicin.
- E. coli was 100% sensitive to imipenem and 90% resistant to ceftazidime.

## Abstract

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing for post-surgical site infections is crucial amid rising cases and antibiotic resistance.

This study aimed to evaluate demographic factors, the occurrence of surgical wound site infections, pathogens associated with these infections, and antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolated pathogens.

A cross-sectional study including 384 patients suffering from post-surgical site infections was conducted in tertiary care hospitals in Pakistan over six months.

The study participants' ages ranged from 7 to 74 years old, with a mean age (±SD) of 30.4 (±9.5) years, and 44.8% of them were female. Among 384 study subjects, bacterial pathogens were isolated from 295 (76.80%). The frequency of gram-negative was 58.75%, whereas the frequency of gram-negative was 41.25%. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), (19%), Staphylococcus aureus (Staph aureus) (18.0%), and Escherichia coli (E. coli) (18.0%) were the most common organisms isolated from wound infections. A significant association was present between occupation and culture sensitivity with a p-value of 0.01. Most of the culture-positive population had appendectomy site infection (92.90%). MRSA had the highest sensitivity to vancomycin (89.8%) and the highest resistance to gentamicin (85.7%). Staph. aureus was most sensitive to imipenem (80%) and most resistant to gentamicin (68.4%). E. coli was most sensitive to imipenem (100%) and most resistant to ceftazidime (90%).

This study has provided a thorough description of the prevalence of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, as well as their relationships to wound type and demographic parameters.