Abstract
BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistance has remained global public health threat. Carriage with drug-resistant bacterial pathogens, particularly beta-lactamase and carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae is among the most concerning. The purpose of this study was to look into the magnitude, antimicrobial resistance patterns, and associated risk factors among hospitalized patients. METHODS: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 383 hospitalized patients at Debre Tabor Comprehensive Specialized Hospital between September 2022 and May 2023. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic and clinical data. The data on the etiologic agent was collected using standard bacteriological techniques. Briefly, stool specimens were collected aseptically into sterile, leak-proof stool cups. The stool sample was inoculated onto MacConkey agar and incubated aerobically at 37 °C for 24 h. The species isolation and antimicrobial resistance patterns were then performed adhering to bacteriological procedures. In the analysis, a p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: There were 383 study participants, and men made up the majority (55.6%). The study participants' mean age was 33 ± 18 years. Three hundred and seventy-seven (88%) of the study's participants had no previous history of antibiotic use. There were 102 (26.6%) and 21 (5.5%) cases of gastrointestinal carriage caused by Enterobacteriaceae that produce beta-lactamase and carbapenemase, respectively. In total, 175 isolates of Enterobacteriaceae were detected. E. coli (n = 89) and K. pneumoniae (n = 51) were the most frequently recovered. In this study, 46 (79.3%) and 8 (13.8%) isolates of E. coli that produce beta-lactamase were resistant to ampicillin and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, respectively. Furthermore, participants who had previously used antibiotics experienced a two-fold increase in exposure to gastrointestinal tract carriage by carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae [AOR, 95% CI (2.01, 1.06-2.98), p = 0.001]. CONCLUSIONS: The emergence of drug-resistant pathogens is a growing concern. An increase in the prevalence of drug-resistant infections in hospitalized patients is warranting further investigation.