Bacterial Profile of Respiratory Tract Infections in Libya

Respiratory tract infections have been known to be a significant health concern for mortality and morbidity since many years. This study was aimed to determine the prevalence of bacterial pathogen causing upper respiratory tract and the susceptibility patterns to frequently used antibiotics among patients attending Abusetta hospital in Tripoli district. The Results have shown that out of 1,110 respiratory samples tested, 71.1% of specimens were positive cultures with the dominant bacterial pathogens being streptococcus pneumonia 43.3%, followed by pseudomonas aeruginosa 22.8%, staphylococcus aurous 13.8%, Escherichia Coli 6.9%, Enterobacter spp 6.2%, Citrobacter 4.5%, and Klebsiella 2.2%. Moreover, most isolates exhibited resistance against the commonly used antibiotics and to at least one antibiotic. In conclusion, the level of antibiotic resistance in this study is alarming and brings to light the timely and suitable diagnosis of the common bacteria causes of upper respiratory tract infections and proper antibiotic administration based on susceptibility test.