Prevalence and Antibiotic Resistance Profile of Acinetobacter Species Isolated from Patients Attending Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Kano, Nigeria

Habu S., Aliyu U. D.

Abstract


Antimicrobial resistance among hospital-associated pathogens is a growing threat to patient care, and Acinetobacter spp. are increasingly implicated in difficult-to-treat nosocomial infections. This study determined the prevalence and antibiotic resistance profile of Acinetobacter species isolated from patients attending Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Kano. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted where 200 clinical specimens (urine, catheter urine, wound swabs, sputum, blood) were collected from selected wards and processed by standard microbiological culture and biochemical methods; species-level identification used established phenotypic criteria, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by disk diffusion following CLSI guidelines. Thirteen Acinetobacter isolates were recovered (prevalence 6.5%); A. baumannii predominated (10/13, 76.9%), followed by A. lwoffii (2/13, 15.4%) and A. calcoaceticus (1/13, 7.7%). Isolates were mainly recovered from the medical (38.5%) and surgical (30.8%) wards, with catheter-associated urine (30.7%) as the leading specimen source. All isolates in this study exhibited a multidrug-resistant profile, with complete resistance to ampicillin, cefotaxime, and trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole (100% each). High resistance was also observed to ceftazidime (92.3%), ceftriaxone (84.6%), cefepime (76.9%), and imipenem (76.9%). Resistance to meropenem was 61.5% and to piperacillin–tazobactam 69.2%. Gentamicin and amikacin showed lower resistance rates of 30.8% and 38.5%, respectively, while ciprofloxacin had the lowest resistance rate at 15.4%. These findings document a notable burden of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter in this tertiary hospital and underscore the need for strengthened antimicrobial stewardship, targeted infection-control measures, and routine antibiogram-driven surveillance to limit transmission and preserve remaining therapeutic options.


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