Isolation, Identification and Antibiotic Susceptibility Profile of Proteus Species Isolated from Patients Attending Saint John's Hospital, Gboko, Benue State

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common bacterial infections. It is a broad term that encompasses
asymptomatic bacteriuria and symptomatic infection with bacterial invasion and inflammation of the urinary tract.
This study was carried out to determine the phenotypic characteristics and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of
Proteus species isolated from the urine of patients attending Saint John's Hospital, Gboko, Benue State. Eighty
two (82) midstream urine samples were collected in sterile universal bottles from males and females of all ages.
Blood agar base was prepared according to the manufacturer's instructions. The urine samples were inoculated
onto Blood agar and the inoculated plates were incubated for 24 h at 37°C. The colonies obtained were sub
cultured repeatedly on nutrient agar to obtain pure isolates. The isolates were identified using morphological and
biochemical tests. The antibiotic susceptibility pattern of the isolates was determined using the Kirby-Bauer disc
diffusion method. Thirty-three (33) Proteus isolates were obtained, giving an overall infection rate of 40.24%.
The age group ≥51 years (13.41%, n=11) had the highest rate of infection while the age group 10-20 years (1.22%,
n=1) had the lowest. There was a statistically significant difference in the infection rate between the age groups
examined [χ² = 16.015, df = 4, p = 0.001]. Female subjects (29.27%, n=24) had a higher occurrence rate than male
subjects (10.97%, n=9), and the difference in infection rate between male and female subjects was statistically
significant [χ² = 9.437, df = 1, p = 0.002]. Among the six antibiotics tested, the isolates showed the highest
susceptibility to Ciprofloxacin (27.3%), followed by Cefixime (21.2%), Ofloxacin (15.2%) and Pefloxacin
(15.2%), while susceptibility was lowest to Sparfloxacin (12.1%) and Cefotaxime (9.1%). Resistance was highest
against Ciprofloxacin (40.0%), followed by Cefixime (26.7%), Ofloxacin (20.0%) and Pefloxacin (13.3%); no
isolate was classified as resistant to Sparfloxacin or Cefotaxime. The high resistance rates recorded against the
fluoroquinolones and Cefixime suggest that these drugs have limited efficacy against urinary tract infections,
particularly Proteus species infection, and should be less considered in treatment regimens. The infection rate
recorded in this study indicates a significant level of Proteus-associated urinary tract infection among patients
attending Saint John's Hospital, Gboko, and this signifies a public health hazard. The level of resistance recorded
could be attributed to the abuse of drugs among the study population. Therefore, there is a need for strong
collaboration between physicians and the laboratory in the choice of antibiotics for the treatment of urinary tract
infections.

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