Introduction: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a major nosocomial pathogen associated with increased mortality, morbidity, and healthcare costs. It is one of the most common and feared gram-negative bacilli due to its rising resistance to broad-spectrum antibiotics, posing serious clinical and economic challenges. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of P. aeruginosa in a tertiary care hospital. Materials & Methods: The study was a retrospective study conducted in the Department of Microbiology, SRG Medical College, Jhalawar, Rajasthan. Study was conducted for a period of six month from January 2023 to June 2023. The sample included all outpatient (OPD) and inpatient (IPD) specimens received at Shree Rajendra General Hospital, Jhalawar. The study population primarily comprised residents from the districts of Jhalawar, Bara, and Kota in Rajasthan. Samples were inoculated on Nutrient Agar, MacConkey Agar, and Blood Agar, and incubated aerobically at 37°C overnight. P. aeruginosa was identied by colony morphology, odour, Gram staining, pigment production, and biochemical tests. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed on Mueller-Hinton agar using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method, as per CLSI guidelines. Results: Out of 2488 samples, P. aeruginosa was isolated in 126 samples showing prevalence was 5.06%. Meropenem (92.91%) and Imipenem (92.6%) show the highest sensitivity with the lowest resistance rates (7.79% and 7.4%, respectively), indicating their superior efcacy. Amikacin (83.65%) and Ciprooxacin (81.21%) also demonstrate good sensitivity. In contrast, Cefoperazone-Sulbactam shows the lowest sensitivity (63.58%) and the highest resistance (36.42%), followed by Piperacillin-Tazobactam (68.7% sensitivity, 31.3% resistance) and Gentamicin (71.1% sensitivity, 28.9% resistance), indicating moderate effectiveness. Conclusion: P. aeruginosa is a major nosocomial pathogen, with rising multidrug resistance due to antibiotic misuse and limited new treatments. Its infection often lead to poor outcomes, making resistance a global concern. Judicious antibiotic use and strict infection control are key to limiting its spread.
Bansal et al. (Tue,) studied this question.