Diagnosis of bloodstream infections (BSI) in neonates is usually difficult due to minimal symptoms at presentation; thus early empirical therapy guided by local antibiotic susceptibility profile is necessary to improve therapeutic outcomes. A review of neonatal blood cultures submitted to the microbiology department of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital was conducted from January 2010 through December 2013. We assessed the prevalence of bacteria and fungi involved in BSI and the susceptibility coverage of recommended empiric antibiotics by Ghana Standard Treatment guidelines and the WHO recommendations for managing neonatal sepsis. The national and WHO treatment guidelines recommend either ampicillin plus gentamicin or ampicillin plus cefotaxime for empiric treatment of neonatal BSI. The WHO recommendations also include cloxacillin plus gentamicin. We described the resistance profile over a 28-day neonatal period using multivariable logistic regression analysis with linear or restricted cubic splines. A total of 8,025 neonatal blood culture reports were reviewed over the four-year period. Total blood culture positivity was 21.9 %. Gram positive organisms accounted for most positive cultures, with coagulase negative staphylococci (CoNS) being the most frequently isolated pathogen in early onset infections (EOS) (59.1 %) and late onset infections (LOS) (52.8 %). Susceptibility coverage of early onset bacterial isolates were 20.7 % to ampicillin plus cefotaxime, 32.2 % to the combination of ampicillin and gentamicin, and 71.7 % to cloxacillin plus gentamicin. For LOS, coverage was 24.6 % to ampicillin plus cefotaxime, 36.2 % to the combination ampicillin and gentamicin and 63.6 % to cloxacillin plus gentamicin. Cloxacillin plus gentamicin remained the most active regimen for EOS and LOS after exclusion of BSI caused by CoNS. For this regimen, the adjusted odds of resistance decreased between 12-34 % per day from birth to day 3 followed by the slowest rate of resistance increase, compared to the other antibiotic regimen, thereafter until day 28. The trend in resistance remained generally unchanged after excluding data from CoNS. Multidrug resistant isolates were significantly (p-value <0.001) higher in LOS (62.4 %, n = 555/886) than in EOS (37.3 %, n = 331/886). There is low antibiotic susceptibility coverage for organisms causing neonatal bloodstream infections in Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital when the current national and WHO recommended empiric antibiotics were assessed. A continuous surveillance of neonatal BSI is required to guide hospital and national antibiotic treatment guidelines for neonatal sepsis.

Excessive and inappropriate use of antibiotics in hospitalised patients contributes to the development and spread of antibiotic resistance. Implementing a stewardship programme to curb the problem requires information on antibiotic use. This study describes a multicentre point prevalence of antibiotic use among paediatric inpatients in Ghana. Data were extracted from a multicentre point prevalence survey of hospital acquired infections in Ghana. Data were collected between September 2016 and December 2016 from ten hospitals through inpatient folder and chart reviews using European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) adapted data collection instrument. From each site, data were collected within a 12-h period (8 am to 8 pm) by a primary team of research investigators and a select group of health professionals from each participating hospital. Among 716 paediatric inpatients, 506 (70.6%; 95% confidence interval (CI): 67.2 to 74.0%) were on antibiotics. A significant proportion of antibiotics (82.9%) was prescribed for infants compared to neonates (63.9%) and adolescents (60.0%). The majority of patients (n = 251, 49.6%) were prescribed two antibiotics at the time of the survey. The top five classes of antibiotics prescribed were third generation cephalosporins (n = 154, 18.5%) aminoglycosides (n = 149, 17.9%), second generation cephalosporins (n = 103,12.4%), beta lactam resistant penicillins (n = 83, 10.0%) and nitroimidazoles (n = 82, 9.9%). The majority of antibiotics (n = 508, 61.0%) were prescribed for community acquired infections. The top three agents for managing community acquired infections were ceftriaxone (n = 97, 19.1%), gentamicin (n = 85, 16.7%) and cefuroxime (n = 73, 14.4%). This study points to high use of antibiotics among paediatric inpatients in Ghana. Cephalosporin use may offer an important target for reduction through antibiotic stewardship programmes.

Background: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common bacterial infectious diseases encountered in clinical practice, and accounts for significant morbidity and high medical costs. To reduce its public health burden, there is the need for local research data to address aspects of prevention and management of UTI. The aim of this study was to investigate community-acquired UTI among adults in Accra, Ghana, including the risk factors, etiological agents, and antibiotic resistance. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving 307 patients clinically diagnosed with UTI at the Korle Bu and Mamprobi polyclinics in Accra. Urine specimens were collected from the study participants and analyzed by culture, microscopy, and dipstick. The bacterial isolates were identified using standard microbiological methods and tested against a spectrum of antibiotics by the Kirby Bauer method. Multidrug resistant Enterobacteriaceae isolates were screened for Extended Spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) production by the double disc method, and isolates that tested positive were analyzed by Polymerase Chain Reaction for ESBL genes. Demographic information and clinical history of study participants were collected. Results: Based on the criteria for laboratory confirmed UTI, 31 (10.1%) of the 307 specimens were positive and the main risk factor of UTI among the study participants was pregnancy (P=0.02, OR=2.43). The most common uropathogen isolated was Escherichia coli (48.9%), followed by Klebseilla sp. (16.1%). Prevalence of resistance was highest for Piperacillin (87.1%) and Amoxicillin+Clavulanic Acid (87.1%) and lowest for Amikacin (12.9%). Prevalence of multidrug resistance among the uropathogens was 80.1% (25) and the most common ESBL gene detected was CTX-M-15. Conclusion: Pregnant women constitute the key risk population of UTI in Accra, while Amikacin remains a suitable drug for the treatment of febrile UTI. The high prevalence of multidrug resistance among the uropathogens highlights the need for surveillance of antimicrobial resistance among these pathogens.

Improper use of antibiotics leads to the emergence of resistant microorganisms as well as drug toxicity, increased healthcare costs, morbidity and mortality. Globally, an estimated 25–68% of hospitalized patients receive suboptimal antibiotic regimes. Information on the extent of this problem in Ghana is currently limited, particularly in surgical units. To strategize for interventions, we estimated the antibiotic use prevalence in surgical departments in a country-wide point prevalence survey (PPS) in Ghana. Between October 2016 and December 2016, we conducted a cross-sectional multi-center country-wide PPS. This involved an audit of in-patients’ records from all units/departments of ten systematically selected hospitals in Ghana. Data were collected with a standardized questionnaire, adopted from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. In this report, we present data on antibiotic use from the surgical units. Of 2107 eligible patients included in the PPS, 540 patients were identified in surgical units, of which 70.7% (382/540) received antibiotic therapy. A total of 636 antibiotic prescriptions were issued to these surgical patients; 224 (58.6%) for treatment, including 50 for treatment of hospital-acquired infections, and 144 (37.7%) for prophylaxis (medical and surgical). Median duration of antibiotic therapy prior to the survey was 5 days (interquartile range (IQR): 3-8 days). Surgical prophylaxis was administered for longer than the recommended one day in 107 of 144 (88.4%) patients. The choice of antibiotics was largely similar for community- and hospital-acquired infections as well as for prophylaxis. Only 3.7% of patients had microbiological analysis done on clinical samples. We found a high prevalence of antibiotic use, with the choice of antibiotics, in some cases, inconsistent with the country’s treatment guidelines. Antibiotics were administered for long duration including antibiotics for prophylactic purposes and the majority was started without supporting microbiological analysis. Prescription practices that encourage rational use of antibiotics guided by microbiology and enforcement of antibiotic policy guidelines should be the target for future interventions.

Carriage of multidrug resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacteria (GN) in hospitalized neonates may increase the risk of difficult-to-treat invasive infections at neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Data on MDR GN-carriage among hospitalized newborns in Africa is limited. We conducted a cross-sectional study at the NICU’s of two tertiary hospitals in Ghana. Swabs from the axilla, groin, peri-anal region and the environment were cultured, GNs identified and antibiotic susceptibility tested. We obtained blood culture isolates from neonates with sepsis. Whole genome sequencing was used to characterize carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae. Typing was done by multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis. A total of 276 GN were isolated from 228 screened neonates. Pathogenic GN were cultured in 76.8% (175/228) neonates. Klebsiella spp. (41.7%; 115/276) and Escherichia coli (26.4%; 73/276) were the commonest organisms. Carriage rates of MDR GN and 3^rd generation cephalosporin-resistant organisms were 49.6% (113/228) and 46.1% (105/228), respectively. Among Klebsiella spp., 75.6% (87/115) phenotypically expressed ESBL, whilst 15.6% expressed carbapenemase and harbored bla-_OXA-181 and bla-_CTX-M-15. Overall, 7.0% (16/228) neonates developed GN bloodstream infection. In two neonates of 11, sequencing showed same identity between carriage and the bloodstream isolate. Length of stay prior to specimen collection and antibiotic use were independently associated with carriage rates, which increased from 13% at admission to 42% by day 2 and reached a plateau at 91% by day 15. High carriage rates of MDR GN including carbapenemase-producing enterobacterales may be an emerging problem in NICUs in Africa.

Background: There is limited data to guide the prevention and management of surgical site infections (SSI) in low- and middle-income countries. We prospectively studied aetiological agents associated with SSI and their corresponding antibiotic susceptibility patterns in a tertiary hospital in Ghana. Methods: As part of a cohort study carried out at the surgical department of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) from July 2017 to April 2019, wound swabs were collected from patients diagnosed with SSI. Isolates cultured from the wound swabs were identified by MALDI TOF and susceptibility testing was conducted according to EUCAST 2020 guidelines. Clinical data were monitored prospectively. Results: Of 4577 patients, 438 developed an SSI and 352 microbial isolates were cultured. Isolates were predominantly Gram negative (286, 81%), a pattern seen for all kinds of surgery and all wound classes. The most common species included Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus and Acinetobacter baumannii. The majority of organisms were multi-drug resistant including 86% of E. coli, 52% of A. baumannii and 86% of K. pneumoniae; and 65% (17/26) of the cefotaxime-resistant K. pneumoniae were extended spectrum β-lactamase producing. One of 139 E. coli, 15 of 49 P. aeruginosa, and 6 of 23 A. baumannii were meropenem resistant, but no clonal pattern was found. There was a 1% (5/428) prevalence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus. Conclusions: The predominance of Gram-negative organisms and the high level of multi-drug resistance indicate a need to re-evaluate antibiotic prophylaxis and treatment protocols in surgical practice in low- and middle-income countries.