October 5, 2025

The study of Non-Tuberculous Aerobic bacterial and fungal profile of Lower Respiratory tract infection in Tertiary Care Centre

LELatha J. Euphrasia SSS. Sinduja SRS. RenugaBharath University

Key Points

Klebsiella pneumoniae was predominant in LRTIs, accounting for 57.5% of isolates, highlighting urgent treatment needs.
34% of Gram-negative isolates showed carbapenem resistance, with Acinetobacter baumannii exhibiting the highest rates.
Fungal growth was present in 15.5% of LRTI samples, primarily Aspergillus fumigatus, resulting in significant co-infections.
The findings emphasize the need for improved antimicrobial stewardship and precise microbial diagnosis in LRTI management.

Abstract

Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) cause significant morbidity and mortality, complicated by rising antimicrobial resistance and fungal co-infections. This prospective study at a tertiary care centre in Chennai analyzed 200 LRTI specimens for aerobic bacterial and fungal pathogens and antimicrobial susceptibility. Klebsiella pneumoniae (57.5%) was the predominant bacterium, followed by Acinetobacter baumannii (19.8%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (17.9%). Carbapenem resistance occurred in 34% of Gram-negative isolates, with Acinetobacter showing the highest rates. Colistin resistance was found in 2.5% of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella. Carbapenemase production was confirmed in 60% and metallo-β-lactamase in 40% of Klebsiella tested. Fungal growth was detected in 15.5% of samples, mainly Aspergillus fumigatus among filamentous fungi. Eight cases had bacterial-fungal co-infections. The study underscores the urgent need for antimicrobial stewardship and accurate microbial diagnosis to improve LRTI management and control multidrug resistance.

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