People living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are more likely to develop urinary tract infections (UTI) due to the suppression of their immunity. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, risk factors of UTI, and drug susceptibility pattern of bacteria isolated among peoples infected with HIV. A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 224 HIV positive individuals attending Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital (HUCSH) from September 17 to November 16, 2018. Midstream urine was collected from all study participants and inoculated on to Blood and MacConkey agar. Bacterial isolates were characterized by Gram stain and standard biochemical tests. Kirby-Bauer method was used for antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected by a semi-structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. A bivariate and a multivariable regression model were employed to determine the association between dependent and independent variables. From the total 224 study participants, 23 (10.3%) (95% CI 6.7–14.7) had culture-confirmed UTIs. The distributions of the bacteria were as follows: Escherichia coli 16 (69.6%), Staphylococcus aureus 2 (8.7%), Klebsiella pneumoniae 2 (8.7%), Enterobacter aerogenes 2 (8.7%) and Pseudomonas species 1 (4.3%). UTI prevalence was also high among study participants with a previous history of UTI and CD4⁺ count < 200/mm³. Female study participants were about five times more likely to have UTI (AOR 5.3, 95% CI 1.5–19.2). Ninety-three percent of bacteria isolated were susceptible to nitrofurantoin, ceftriaxone, and gentamycin; 87.5% were susceptible to meropenem and norfloxacin; whereas 93.8%, 68.8%, and 62.5% of isolates were resistant to ampicillin, tetracycline, and cotrimoxazole respectively. Multidrug resistance (MDR) was seen in 18 (78.3%) of bacterial isolates.

Introduction: Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) is the presence of bacteria in significant quantity in the absence of signs and symptoms of urinary tract infection (UTI). ASB, if it occurs during pregnancy, can cause serious complications both among fetus and pregnant women. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of ASB, its associated factors, and antimicrobial susceptibility profile of bacterial isolates among pregnant women. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from July to September 2019 among 290 pregnant women at Saint Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Clean-catch midstream urine specimens were collected using sterile containers and cultured on MacConkey agar and sheep blood agar to isolate bacteria. Socio-demographic and obstetric data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 22. The association between ASB and risk factors was assessed using logistic regressions. A p-value ≤ 0.05 was considered as a cut point to determine the significant association. Results: From 290 study participants, 16.9% with 95 CI [13.1, 21.5] were positive for ASB. The predominant bacteria were Escherichia coli (43%) and Staphylococcus aureus (20%). Majority of E. coli (91.0%) were susceptible to nitrofurantoin and gentamycin; most of them were resistant to amoxicillin (86.4%) and cotrimoxazole (77.7%). The proportion of multi-drug resistance (MDR) isolates was 57.1%. Previous infection with UTI, previous history of catheterization, and natural abortion were significantly associated with ASB. Conclusion: In the study area, ASB is prevalent in the study area indicating the importance of screening of ASB and possible treatment to prevent its consequences.

Background: In low-income countries, delays in treatment seeking among tuberculosis patients contribute to easy transmission and high prevalence of tuberculosis. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the magnitude of delays in treatment-seeking and risk factors among pulmonary tuberculosis suspected patients in health facilities located in Adama, Ethiopia. Method: A health-facility based cross-sectional study was conducted at Adama from December 20, 2015, to March 1, 2016, among 598 tuberculosis suspected patients. Data was collected from all study participants on the same day of tuberculosis diagnosis using a structured questionnaire. Epi-Info 3.5.3 and Statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) version 16.0 were used for data entry and analysis respectively. A bivariate and multivariable regression model was used to investigate the association between delay in seeking-treatment and various factors. Odds ratio with 95% CI and P-value < 0.05 were considered as cut off point to measure the strength and significance of the association. Results: Among 598 pulmonary tuberculosis suspected patients, 79 (13.2%) were smear-positive. Among smear-positive participants, 61(77.2%) delayed seeking treatment and 275 (46%) patients delayed seeking treatment for > 30 days. The following factors were significantly associated with a delay in seeking treatment: female sex OR = 1.57, 95% CI (1.14, 2.18), low monthly income OR = 1.45, 95% CI (1.05, 2.01), lack of knowledge regarding tuberculosis OR = 1.67, 95% CI (1.13, 2.48), and cure rate of tuberculosis OR = 1.836, 95% CI (1.25, 2.69). Conclusion: Nearly half of pulmonary tuberculosis suspected patients delayed seeking treatment in our study area. Female sex, low income, family size of five and greater, no knowledge about tuberculosis and cure rate were factors contributing to delay in treatment-seeking among suspected tuberculosis patients.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major cause of hospital-acquired infection, which is difficult to treat because of antibiotic resistance. There is scant data on MRSA from southern parts of Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of MRSA nasal carriage, antibiotic susceptibility profiles, and associated factors among hospitalized patients attending Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital (HUCSH), Hawassa, Ethiopia. A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from December 11, 2019 to February 15, 2020. Background and clinical data were captured by an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Nasal swabs were collected aseptically and inoculated onto mannitol salt agar and sheep blood agar, which was incubated for 24 hours at 37°C. S. aureus was confirmed using standard bacteriological methods. MRSA was identified using the cefoxitin Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. Of the 280 included hospitalized patients, 38 (13.6%) were colonized with S. aureus. The prevalence of MRSA carriage was 9.3% (95% CI 6.1‒12.2). Twenty-six (68.4%) of the S. aureus isolates were methicillin resistant. Participants with a monthly income > 4000 Ethiopian Birr were four times more likely to be colonized with MRSA (p = 0.022). A high proportion of patients with a history of admission to the surgical ward was colonized with MRSA. Over 10% of MRSA isolates were resistant to all antibiotics except clindamycin and erythromycin. Of the 26 MRSA isolates, 88.5% showed multidrug resistance. The prevalence of MRSA was relatively high among hospitalized patients at HUCSH. Factors such as weight and monthly income were significantly associated with the occurrence of MRSA.

Background: Eye infection is a public health problem in developing countries including Ethiopia. Bacteria are major causative agents of eye infections that can lead to loss of vision. The objective of this study was to determine bacterial etiology of ocular and periocular infections, antimicrobial susceptibility profile and associated factors among patients who visited the eye unit of Shashamane Comprehensive Specialized Hospital (SCSH). Method: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted at SCSH from September 1, 2018, to March 30, 2019. Specimens from the ocular and periocular areas were collected from a total of 332 patients who visited the eye unit. Specimens were inoculated on blood agar, chocolate agar, MacConkey agar, and mannitol salt agar. Isolated bacteria were identified by a series of biochemical tests using the standard bacteriological method. Antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute by disk diffusion method. Factors that could be associated with ocular and periocular infection were collected by using structured questionnaire. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 22.0 software package. A P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Result: Out of the total 332 study participants with ocular and periocular infections, 198(60%) were culture positive. The proportion of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were 135(68.2%) and 63(31.8%) respectively. Among Gram-positive bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus were predominant. Among Gram-negative bacteria, Escherichia coli were predominant. Most S. aureus were resistant to penicillin. Conclusion: Majority of ocular and periocular infections in this study were caused by bacteria; Gram-positive bacteria were responsible for most cases.

The aim of this study was to determine the colonization rate of Streptococcus pneumoniae, antimicrobial susceptibility pattern and associated risk factors among children attending kindergarten school in Hawassa, Ethiopia. Out of 317 study participants, 68 (21.5%) were colonized with S. pneumoniae. Colonization rate was significantly associated with factors such as age (3 to 4 years old) (P = 0.01), having a sibling whose age was less than 5 years (P = 0.011), sharing a bed with parents (P = 0.005), cooking within bedroom (P = 0.002), and previous hospitalization (P = 0.004). Forty-four (64.6%), 33 (48.5%), and 2942.6%) of S. pneumoniae isolated were resistant to cotrimoxazole, penicillin, and tetracycline respectively.