Incidence of Beta-lactamase production among common out patient clinic isolates and their resistance to some commonly prescribed antibiotics

ABSTRACT

In this survey 319 bacterial stains were isolated from patients reporting to the outpatient clinics of AI Jazira Clinic in AI Khobar, Saudi Arabia suffering from community aquired infections.. These strains were tested for Beta-lactamase production and for susceptibility to some, commonly prescribed antibiotics [penicillin, Broad spectrum penicillins and cephalosoprins] Beta-ladamase production was demonstrated in 76.8% of total isolates [In 86.5% in coagulase positive staph., 45% in coagulase negative staph., 60% in Branhamella catarrhalis, 83.5% in E. coli, 73.3% in Klebsiella pneumoniae and 63.3% in proteus sp.] Antibiotic resistance was shown in 85% of isolates to penicillin, 71% to ampicillin, 63% to amoxycillin 33.5% to Amoxycillin/Clavulenic acid, 40% to cephradine, 45.5% to cephalexin and 52.5% to cefaclor. These results show significant prevalence of Beta-lactamase producers among common pathogens and also marked resistance to the popular commonly prescribed Beta-Iactam antibiotics. We recommend that prescribiting antibiotics should be based on etiological, ecological knowledge as well as pharmacokinetics, and that testing of any bacterial isolate of Beta. lactamase production should be part of clinical laboratory sensitivity testing