Navigating Resistance: Building an Enhanced Antibiogram for Local Healthcare in Saudi Arabia

Background: The antibiogram is an essential resource for institutions to track changes in antimicrobial resistance and to guide empirical antimicrobial therapy. Objectives: The aim of this study is evaluation of the antibiotic sensitivity patterns for organisms isolated from clinical specimens across various hospital sectors. Methodology: The antibiotic sensitivity test (AST) of isolates was tested by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method and interpreted in accordance with the national committee for clinical and laboratory standards guidelines M39. A total of 561 samples (60.6% from Outpatient (OPD), and 39.4% from Inpatients/ICU) were included. Results: The most frequent Gram-ve isolates were E. coli (36.8 %) and K. pneumoniae (12.9 %) in OPD, and K. pneumoniae (26.2%) and P. aeruginosa (13.9 %) in Inpatient/ICU. For Gram+ve isolates, Staphylococcus aureus was predominant in both settings (13.5% &14.5%) for OPD and Inpatient respectively, with Streptococcus agalactiae also prevalent in OPD (18.8%). Multi-drug resistance organisms (MDROs) were more common in ICU settings. Resistance was significant in E. coli, K. pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas against certain beta-lactams, while Amikacin, Gentamicin, Imipenem, Meropenem, and Colistin remained effective. S. aureus (including MRSA) and Enterococcus faecalis were highly sensitive to daptomycin, vancomycin, linezolid, and teicoplanin. Meropenem, Tigecycline Amikacin, Gentamicin, and Imipenem exhibited high sensitivity across all specimen types in contrast to Ampicillin species. Conclusion: Data from enhanced antibiogram revealed the variability of antibiotic sensitivity by specimen type and site and the prevalence of MDROs in ICU settings. Therebefore, there is a need for continuous monitoring resistance trends and tailoring the local hospital AMS program.Background: The antibiogram is an essential resource for institutions to track changes in antimicrobial resistance and to guide empirical antimicrobial therapy. Objectives: The aim of this study is evaluation of the antibiotic sensitivity patterns for organisms isolated from clinical specimens across various hospital sectors. Methodology: The antibiotic sensitivity test (AST) of isolates was tested by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method and interpreted in accordance with the national committee for clinical and laboratory standards guidelines M39. A total of 561 samples (60.6% from Outpatient (OPD), and 39.4% from Inpatients/ICU) were included. Results: The most frequent Gram-ve isolates were E. coli (36.8 %) and K. pneumoniae (12.9 %) in OPD, and K. pneumoniae (26.2%) and P. aeruginosa (13.9 %) in Inpatient/ICU. For Gram+ve isolates, Staphylococcus aureus was predominant in both settings (13.5% &14.5%) for OPD and Inpatient respectively, with Streptococcus agalactiae also prevalent in OPD (18.8%). Multi-drug resistance organisms (MDROs) were more common in ICU settings. Resistance was significant in E. coli, K. pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas against certain beta-lactams, while Amikacin, Gentamicin, Imipenem, Meropenem, and Colistin remained effective. S. aureus (including MRSA) and Enterococcus faecalis were highly sensitive to daptomycin, vancomycin, linezolid, and teicoplanin. Meropenem, Tigecycline Amikacin, Gentamicin, and Imipenem exhibited high sensitivity across all specimen types in contrast to Ampicillin species. Conclusion: Data from enhanced antibiogram revealed the variability of antibiotic sensitivity by specimen type and site and the prevalence of MDROs in ICU settings. Therebefore, there is a need for continuous monitoring resistance trends and tailoring the local hospital AMS program.