Phenotypic Detection of Carbapenem-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacilli from a Clinical Specimen in Sidama, Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background Carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria are an emergent source of both community-acquired and healthcare-associated infection that poses a substantial hazard to public health. This study aimed to conclude the magnitude of carbapenem resistance gram-negative bacteria from a clinical specimen at Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital. Methods A hospital-based cross-sectional study was accompanied from February 13 to June 7, 2020, in which consecutive patients with 103 gram-negative bacteria were encompassed. The isolates included were 54 urine, 17 blood, 17 pusses, 4 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), 3 aspirates, 3 effusions, 2 stools, 2 ear discharges, and 1 nasal swab. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to gather socio-demographic data from the attendant and clinical data from the patient's chart. Patients admitted in any wards and visited outpatients department were included for the study if gram-negative bacteria was identified for those who accepted the consent. A routine manual culture, Gram's staining and biochemical tests used to identify the bacteria. Antibiotic susceptibility was determined for twelve antibiotics including cotrimoxazole, ceftazidime, meropenem, gentamycin, chloramphenicol, ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, cefotaxime, cefuroxime, nitrofurantoin, piperacillin-tazobactam, and amikacin using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Modified carbapenem inactivation (mCIM) method was used to determine carbapenem resistance using meropenem disk as per the recommendation of Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guideline. Statistical package for social science software version 21 was used for data entry and analysis. The odds ratio at 95% confidence interval (CI) and p-value 0.05. Conclusion Our study showed that carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacilli are 9% in the study area. Our finding signposts that ampicillin, cefuroxime, cefotaxime, cotrimoxazole, ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin, nitrofurantoin, and gentamycin with a high rate of resistance >50%. However, piperacillin-tazobactam, chloramphenicol, meropenem, and amikacin were at low rates of resistance. Therefore, a measure should be taken to contain carbapenem resistance gram-negative bacteria in the study area. Further, study with better method needs to be conducted to conclude the real scenario of carbapenem resistance.