Pattern of Antibiotic Resistance in Pesudomonas Aeruginosa Isolated from Intensive Care Unit, Isfahan, Iran

Background: Pseudomonas aeroginosa (P. aeroginosa) is one of the most important causes of hospital infections, especially in the intensive care unit (ICU). Increasing antibiotic-resistance of P. aeroginosa cause a lot of problems for patients and in some cases, lead to septicemia and death. The most important antibiotics used in the treatment of P. aeruginosa infection are ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin, imipenem and piperacillin mainly used in hospitals. Unsuitable and prolonged use of antibiotics has led to the emergence of multidrug (MDR) and pandrug resistant (PDR) strains. In fact, infections with MDR and PDR strains often result in increased cost of treatment, lengthy stay, and overall morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to determine the pattern of drug resistance in P. aeruginosa infection in ICU of Al-Zahra hospital (Isfahan, Iran). Methods: 66 isolates of P. aeruginosa from different clinical specimens from ICU wards of Al-Zahra hospital were isolated. Antibacterial susceptibility test for imipenem, meropenem, amikacin, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, aztreonam, cefepime, piperacillin, piperacillin/tazobactam and ceftazidime was performed using disk diffusion (Kirby-Bauer) method. Findings: Of 66 separated isolates, 51 (77.2%) were of MDR and 33 (50%) were of PDR strain. 75.8% were resistant to ceftazidime and 72.7% to piperacillin. In fact, most of isolates were resistant to both antibiotics. Conclusion: This study shows that overuse and misuse of antibiotics in hospitals has increased drug resistance and creation of the PDR and MDR strains. The results suggest that antibiotic resistance can be determined by choosing the appropriate drug to treat patients.