Antibiotic resistance profile of bacteria isolated from patients admitted with postoperative infection in a regional hospital center in Togo

The treatment of postoperative infections is becoming difficult because of the increasing resistance rate to antibiotics. This study aimed to identify postoperative bacterial infections and determine their current antimicrobial resistance to commonly prescribed antibiotics drugs. A cross sectional study was carried out on patients operated upon and followed up for development of infection on the surgical site until the time of discharge. On 36 cases analyzed prospectively, wound swab samples were collected and processed for bacterial isolation and antimicrobial susceptibility. A total of 35 bacterial pathogens were identified from 35 cases. Klebsiella and Staphylococcus were the leading isolates accounting to 28% each, followed by Escherichia coli (14%) and Citrobacter (9%), Pseudomonas and Proteus (6% each), Enterobacter, Yersinia and Acinetobacter (3% each). The highest resistance rate (90%) of Klebsiella was to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, cefalotin, cefazolin, cefoxitin followed by ciprofloxacin and the lowest resistance rate (10%) was to aztreonam and to all macrolides used. The highest resistance rate (100%) of Staphylococcus was to penicillin. Klebsiella and Staphylococcus were the most common causative agents of postoperative infections. The multidrug resistance level of these bacteria isolated was very alarming so that any empirical prophylaxis and treatment need careful selection of effective drugs.