Antibiotic Sensitivity Pattern of Moraxella Catarrahalis Isolated from Pregnant Women Attending Ante Natal Clinic at Irrua Specialist Hospital, Irrua, Edo State

Abstract

Due to reported incidence of antibiotic resistance, this study examines the prevalence and sensitivity pattern of  Moraxella catarrahalis among pregnant women with repeated complaints of ear and sinus. A total of 300 ear swab samples were collected from  pregnant women at different trimesters (first trimester (18), second  trimester (102) and third trimester (180)). The samples were cultured, and the isolates identified and characterized using their cultural, biochemical, and microscopic characteristics. Out of the 300 samples, 36 isolates of Moraxella catarrhalis were obtained. Antimicrobial susceptibility test on the isolates showed a high sensitivity pattern to Amoxicillinclavulanate (100%) followed by Sparfloxacin and Ciprofloxacin (91.7%) each, Augmentin and Ofloxacin (83.3%) each, while  Chloramphenicol was (75%). The isolates exhibited a very high resistance (100%) to Penicillin while β-lactamase test revealed that all isolates of M. catarrhalis were β-lactamase producers. The highest percentage of isolates was found in women within the third  trimester (13.3%) and lowest in the second trimester (9.8%). Other organisms isolated were diptheriods (39.3%), Streptococcus pneumoniae (35.3%) and Staphylococcus spp (13.3%). This study reveals that these organisms are prevalent during pregnancy and showed varying  susceptibility to antibiotics. It is therefore necessary to further evaluate the consequence of these organisms on pregnancy.

Keywords: Irrua, Antibiotic, Sensitivity, Moraxella catarrhalis, pregnant women.