Patterns of bacterial pathogens and their antimicrobial susceptibility from blood culture specimens in Wad Medani, Sudan: a four-year laboratory-based, cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Antibiotic-resistant bacterial bloodstream infections are rapidly emerging, which makes successful treatment challenging. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the patterns of bacterial pathogens and their antimicrobial susceptibility from blood culture samples. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. All clinical samples were collected from patients at Wad Medani and investigated at the Pathology Center for Diagnosis and Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Gazira, Sudan, from the 1st of January, 2020, to the 15th of October, 2023. Results: Overall, 577 blood samples were cultured. Among these samples, 86 (14.9%) exhibited bacterial growth. S. aureus (40.7%) and E. coli (40.7%) were the most frequently isolated bacteria. The most sensitive drugs to S. aureus were vancomycin 100% (13/13) and linezolid 86.7% (13/15), whereas the most sensitive drugs to E. coli were norfloxacin 88.9% (8/9), imipenem 85.7% (6/7), and levofloxacin 84% (21/25). The rate of bacterial growth has steadily increased over time, from 5% in 2020 to 24.9% in 2023. Conclusions: This study revealed a modest rate of 14.9% of bloodstream infections, which has steadily increased over the years. The most frequently isolated bacteria were S. aureus and E. coli. Vancomycin was the most susceptible drug to isolated bacteria.