Antimicrobial Resistance of Providencia Species Isolated in a Public Hospital

Abstract

Providencia species are Gram-negative bacteria belonging to the family Enterobacteriaceae
that is responsible for many infectious disorders. Providencia species are highly resistant to several antibiotics. It is important to know the antibiotic susceptibility patterns in order to guide the prescribers in
choosing empirical or directed therapy of infected patients. Therefore, this study aims to describe the antimicrobial resistance of Providencia species isolated in a public hospital in Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia. This
study included the review of the cumulative antimicrobial susceptibility tests that were collected from the
microbiology laboratory in the public hospital. Providencia species were highly resistant to the majority of
antibiotics. Only few antibiotics were effective for the treatment of Providencia such as meropenem,
pipracillin/tazobactam, ertapenem, imipenem and amikacin. The healthcare providers should ensure that
antibiotics were prescribed and dispensed appropriately depending on the results of cumulative antimicrobial susceptibility tests.