Epidemiological Characteristics and Predisposing Factors for Surgical Site Infections Caused by Bacterial Pathogens Exhibiting Multidrug-Resistant Patterns.

Background: Surgical site infection is the most common kind of nosocomial infection in developed and developing countries.

Objectives: Our aim was to identify the prevalence of factors predisposing to multidrug resistance and the antimicrobial susceptibility profile of pathogens.

Method: This retrospective study enrolled 10,878 patients who underwent operations in 2018-2020. Pathogens were identified using eosin methylene blue agar. Mueller-Hinton agar was used to assess antimicrobial sensitivity and resistance. In total, 382 patients with confirmed surgical site infection (SSI), whose culture showed growth, were included in the study.

Results: The prevalence of SSI in the current study was 3.5%. was the predominant pathogen (35.8%), followed by (21.8%). Antibiotic use, chronic renal failure, diabetes, and emergency operations were found to increase the likelihood of multidrug resistance (OR = 6.23, CI = 1.443-26.881, = 0.014; OR = 5.67, CI = 1.837-19.64, = 0.02; OR = 2.54, CI = 1.46-7.35, = 0.03; OR = 1.885, CI = 1.067-3.332, = 0.002, respectively). The pathogens showed different levels of antimicrobial resistance against ceftriaxone (72.7%), ciprofloxacin (46.6%), and gentamicin (34%). Antimicrobial resistance of about 1-3.4% was exhibited by linezolid, tigecycline, and teicoplanin.

Conclusion: The study presented significantly increased multidrug-resistant (MDR) Enterobacteriaceae pathogens isolated from surgical sites. They involve significant morbidity and mortality rates and increased health-related costs.