Bacteriological Profile and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Pattern of Isolates from Patients with Septicaemia in Butembo, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Background: Emergence of antimicrobial resistance has limited treatment options against bloodstream infections. This study aimed to determine bacterial isolates from blood culture of patients with bloodstream infection and their sensitivity to antimicrobials at patients attending the Central Laboratory of Research of the “Université Catholique du Graben” (UCG) in Butembo.

Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study adopting a descriptive approach, conducted from January, 2015 to December, 2016. Blood was collected from a peripheral vein using an aseptic technique. The culture and the antimicrobial susceptibility testing were done by using standard methods according to the Clinical Laboratory Standard Institute guidelines.

Results: The most isolated bacteria from blood culture of patient with bloodstream infections were Staphylococcus aureus (39.8%), Listeria spp. (17.4%), Moraxella spp. (14.3%), Bacillus spp. (13.4%) and Klebsiella rhinoscleromatis (4.1%). All bacterial isolates tested for sensitivity were resistant to the group of β-lactamine antibiotics except S. aureus which was sensitive only to vancomycin. It was also observed that all the bacterial species have a Multiple Antibiotic Resistance Index greater than 0.2.

Conclusion: Bloodstream infections are life-threatening conditions, continuous and regular monitoring of antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of responsible bacteria is needed. From this study, we suggested gentamicin, doxycycline, ciprofloxacin, and levofloxacin as the first line antibiotics of choice for empiric treatment of bloodstream infections in Butembo.