898 - Prevalence of Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase Producing Escherichia coli, Klebsiella Pneumoniae and Pseudomonas Aeruginosa from Hospital Acquired Surgical Site Infections in Ghana

Background: Globally, ESBL-producing bacteria pose a great challenge for treating hospital acquired SSI. Currently, the prevalence of ESBL pathogens in Ghana hospitals is poorly understood. Determining the frequency ESBLs are encountered will, in turn, provide insight for antibiogram development and shape antimicrobial stewardship policies in Ghana.

Methods: Using U.S. CDC criteria for SSI, wound swabs or aspirates were collected from 112 participants who met study inclusion criteria. Specimens were plated on MacConkey and blood agar; then colonies were isolated and identified using MALDI-TOF. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method and interpreted according to the 2018 Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. The combined disk method was used to screen for ESBLs among E.coli and K. pneumoniae isolates. Genes associated with ESBL production (SHV, TEM and CTX-M) were detected using PCR analysis.

Results: Thirty-eight percent of the bacterial isolates recovered were E. coli, K. pneumonia accounted for 32%, and P. aeruginosa accounted for 16% of the total isolates; remaining isolates were gram positive pathogens not discussed here. ESBL production was detected in 50% of E. coli isolates and 73% of K. pneumoniae isolates. ESBL-producing isolates were susceptible to meropenem but resistant to cefuroxime, cefotaxime, tetracycline, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin and chloramphenicol. P. aeruginosa isolates were only sensitive to meropenem, gentamicin, and ciprofloxacin. In our study, CTX-M was the most frequently detected gene producing the ESBL-phenotype: 33% of E. coli isolates and 73% of K. pneumoniae isolates possessed the CTX-M gene.

Conclusion: Approximately 70% of total bacterial isolates recovered from our SSI study were ESBL producers. The presence of these multi-drug resistant organisms raises clinical concerns due to the absence of routine antimicrobial resistance (AMR) testing and lack of suitable first-line antimicrobials for ESBL pathogens. Improved laboratory capacity to more readily detect MDROs is essential for effective clinical management of patients, antibiogram development and refining antimicrobial stewardship practices in Ghana hospitals.