Abstract

Multidrug resistance, in rapidly spreading bacterial species, is a matter of concern in health care units. Samples (6840) collected from a Saudi hospital in Madinah, were screened for Acinetobacter spp. and studied for frequency, gender distribution, and seasonal variations besides antimicrobial resistance pattern. Acinetobacter strains represented 5.5% of the clinical isolates from different sources. Of these, 63% were recovered from male samples. The largest numbers of these organisms were isolated from sputum and wound swabs representing about 85% of the samples. Antimicrobial sensitivity pattern showed that colistin was the most effective drug since it inhibited 76% of the Acinetobacter isolates. The remaining drugs did not reveal sensitivity greater than 15%. Results suggest colistin to be a promising drug in the treatment of Acinetobacter infections. It was also observed that percentage of these infections was highest during summers representing 39.15%, followed by autumn (28.17%) and winters (26.48%), while spring season recorded the least percentage with only 6.2% of infections. The present study was an attempt to generate data on the prevalence of resistance pattern and management of Acinetobacter infections.

Key words: Acinetobacter, antimicrobial sensitivity pattern, multidrug resistance, nosocomial infections.