South Asian Journal of Research in Microbiology

Streptococcus pneumoniae is one of the leading causes of bacterial infections, posing a major public health challenge ranging from self-limiting respiratory tract infections to severe invasive infections. The aim of the research is to determine the antibiotic susceptibility profile of S. pneumoniae isolated from patients with respiratory tract infections in General Hospital Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State. A total of twenty (50) sputum sample of patients with RTI were collected from Malam Mande General Hospital Dutsin-Ma in sterile small containers under aseptic condition and taken to Microbiology laboratory of Federal University Dutsin-Ma for microbiological analysis. The samples were inoculated into Nutrient Agar and Blood Agar medium for differentiation, and incubated at 37℃ for 24hrs, and pure isolates were identified based on their morphology and biochemical characteristics. Kirby-banner disc differential method was used to determine the antibiotics susceptibility profile of the isolates. Out of the 50 samples 18 S. pneumonia were isolated phenotypically. The isolates showed high resistance to Ampiclox (72.2%) and Amoxicillin (44.4%), and relatively higher susceptibility to Ciprofloxacin (44.4%) and Gentamycin (50%). The result also showed that 66.67% of the isolates are MDR. These findings highlight the need for continuous surveillance, antibiotic stewardship, alternative treatment strategies, public health education, and further research to manage infections effectively and combat antibiotic resistance.