BACTERIAL PROFILE AND ANTIBIOTIC SUSCEPTIBILITY PATTERNS IN WOUND INFECTIONS AMONG SURGICAL PATIENTS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Background: Surgical wound infections remain a significant cause of postoperative morbidity, contributing to extended hospital stays and increased antimicrobial resistance. Understanding local bacterial profiles and antibiotic susceptibility is essential for guiding effective empirical treatment and reducing the burden of multidrug-resistant organisms. Objective: To identify the most prevalent bacterial pathogens responsible for surgical wound infections and assess their antibiotic resistance patterns among hospitalized surgical patients. Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted over six months in a tertiary care center. Wound swab samples were collected aseptically from 355 surgical patients with clinical signs of wound infection. Microbial culture and sensitivity testing were performed following Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25 with significance set at p<0.05. Results: Out of 355 patients, 271 (76.3%) had culture-positive wounds, yielding 305 bacterial isolates. The most common organisms were Staphylococcus aureus (28.7%), Escherichia coli (18.9%), and Klebsiella spp. (14.9%). S. aureus showed high resistance to ampicillin (85.3%) and ceftriaxone (72.5%) but remained largely sensitive to vancomycin (8.8% resistance). E. coli exhibited substantial resistance to ampicillin (91.0%) and ceftriaxone (78.2%), with lower resistance to meropenem (12.4%). Diabetic patients demonstrated significantly higher rates of multidrug-resistant isolates (74.2%) compared to non-diabetics (61.3%, p=0.032). Conclusion: The study reveals a high burden of antibiotic-resistant pathogens in surgical wound infections, emphasizing the need for regular surveillance, localized antibiograms, and antimicrobial stewardship to optimize patient care and reduce resistance development.