“ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF LACTOSE AND NON- LACTOSE FERMENTING BACTERIA FROM TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL AND THEIR ANTIMICROBIAL SUSCEPTIBILITY TEST”

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to identify the fermenting and non-fermenting gram negative bacteria from the tertiary care hospital. Methods: The conventional method of identification by biochemical analysis and antibiotic susceptibility test was performed by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Furthermore, analysis of microbes was done by Vitek-2. Results: 424strains of lactose fermenting and non-lactose fermenting gram negative bacilli were isolated from 3097 clinical samples. From the total lactose fermenting bacteria Escherichia coli was the predominant isolate accounting for 50.94% specimens, followed by Klebsiella pneumonia 27.59% and Enterobacter 0.47%. From the total non-lactose fermenting gram negative bacilli Acinetobacter baumannii was the predominant isolate accounting for 12.73% specimens followed by Pseudomonas aeroginosa 6.13%, other isolates were Stenotrophomonas maltophilia 1.17% , Burkholderia cepacia 0.94%. In the present study male were more infected than female. The study also showed that lactose fermenting bacteria were more infectious than non lactose-fermenting bacteria and isolates were from urine samples. Conclusion: Both Non-Lactose Fermenting Gram Negative Bacilli and Lactose Fermenting Gram Negative Bacilli were found to be major contaminants, and are important pathogenic bacteria causing wide range of infections in the tertiary care hospital. Keywords: Lactose fermenting gram negative bacteria, Vitek-2, Tertiary Care Hospital, Kirby-Bauer Disc Diffusion, Lactose non-fermenting gram negative bacteria