Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Ciprofloxacin is a broad-spectrum antibiotic widely prescribed in clinical and hospital settings. The emergence of antimicrobial resistance against effective antibiotics is a global issue. The objective of study is the surveillance of ciprofloxacin against common pathogens. METHODS: To investigate the present status of antimicrobial resistance against ciprofloxacin, five hundred and twenty four clinical isolates of Escherichia coli (30%), Staphylococcus aureus (33%), Salmonella typhi (9%), Klebsiella pneumonia (14%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (14%) were collected during study from January, 2008 to February, 2009 from different pathological laboratories running in and out side hospitals located in Karachi, Pakistan. These pathogens were isolated from specimens of both in and out patients. The in-vitro antimicrobial activity of ciprofloxacin was carried out by Disc Diffusion Method (Kirby-Bauer test). RESULTS: Showed that ciprofloxacin is 27.02%, 21.95%, 16.66%, 72.22% and 44.44% resistant to Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, Klebsiella pneumonia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa respectively. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that these clinical isolates have started developing resistance against ciprofloxacin due to its irrational and inappropriate use. Continuous surveillance is crucial to monitor the antimicrobial resistance among pathogens.