The Antimicrobial Resistance Pattern of Klebsiella pneumonia Isolated from the Clinical Specimens in Duhok City in Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Background: Klebsiella pneumoniae is an important opportunistic enteric bacterial strain, which is a major cause of pneumonia and urinary tract infection. Antimicrobial resistance is an increasingly severe threat to the Global Public Health, requiring immediate action across governmental sectors and communities. Objectives: The present study aimed to determine the sensitivity pattern of K. pneumonia isolated from various clinical specimens for common antibiotics in Duhok City, Iraq. Methods: This study was conducted in Duhok City during January 2017-February 2019 on 130 clinical samples of urine, blood, sputum, wound swabs, central venous lines, and oral swabs. K. pneumoniae strains were confirmed and tested in terms of susceptibility to various antimicrobial drugs using the VITEK-2 compact system. Results: In total, 130 positive K. pneumoniae cultures from various clinical samples were examined. The isolates were more predominant in the females (n = 99; 76.2%) compared to males (n = 31; 23.8%). The antibiotic resistance rate of K. pneumoniae varied among different isolate clinical sample sources. Overall, high resistance rates were recorded for ampicillin (96.9%), ceftriaxone (65.8%), and cefepime (60.8%). However, ertapenem (93.8%) and imipenem (82.3%) showed the highest susceptibility rate against the isolates. Conclusions: According to the results, K. pneumoniae isolated from various clinical specimens varied in terms of the antibiotic susceptibility pattern with high resistance to common antibiotics, particularly ampicillin. Ertapenem and imipenem were the most effective antibiotics against the isolates. Our findings could help physicians and clinicians to select appropriate antimicrobial therapies in the region.