AccScience Publishing / MI / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/MI025350093
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Nosocomial infections in intensive care units: Bacterial profiles and microbial resistance patterns

Hamad Ali1* Muhammad Rizwan1 Falak Niaz2 Amin Ullah3 Muhammad Usama4
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1 Center for Biotechnology and Microbiology, Department of Microbiology, University of Swat, Charbagh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
2 Department of Medical Lab Technology, Faculty of Rehabilitation and Allied Health Sciences, Riphah International University, Malakand Campus, Chakdara, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
3 Department of Allied Health Sciences, Iqra National University, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
4 Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Chemical and Life Sciences, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Received: 31 August 2025 | Revised: 20 November 2025 | Accepted: 27 November 2025 | Published online: 6 January 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
Abstract

Nosocomial infections (NIs) are a significant global health issue, specifically in intensive care units (ICUs). The study aims to identify the bacterial profiles and antimicrobial resistance patterns of NI pathogens in the ICU of a tertiary care hospital, with the goal of informing effective treatment and infection control approaches. This cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted between March 2024 and March 2025 in the ICUs of Saidu Teaching Hospital. Clinical samples were collected from patients who had acquired signs of infection after 48 h of admission. Identification and antimicrobial susceptibility of bacteria were conducted using standard microbiological and Kirby–Bauer disc diffusion techniques. Multidrug resistance (MDR) was defined as non-susceptibility to at least one agent in three or more antimicrobial categories. Among 450 admitted patients, 112 (24.9%) had clinical NIs, and 98 (21.8%) were microbiologically verified. Gram-negative bacilli predominated (78.6%), followed by Acinetobacter baumannii (27.7%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (21.4%). Ventilator-associated pneumonia (45.5%) and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (28.6%) were the most common sites of infection. The prevalence of MDR was alarming, 76.8% overall, with 100% of A. baumannii and K. pneumoniae being MDR. Carbapenem resistance was found to be high (A. baumannii: 93.5, K. pneumoniae: 72.2). Most Gram-negative isolates were mostly susceptible to colistin. NIs tend to have a high burden in the ICU, as observed in this study, particularly with Gram-negative bacteria that exhibit MDR. The extreme prevalence of carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii and K. pneumoniae signals an highlights a crisis in antimicrobial resistance. These findings underscore the importance of implementing robust infection prevention and control policies, executing rigorous antibiotic stewardship initiatives, and maintaining ongoing local surveillance to inform empirical treatment and improve patient outcomes.

Graphical abstract
Keywords
Nosocomial infections
Intensive care unit
Antimicrobial resistance
Multidrug-resistant bacteria
Acinetobacter baumannii
Carbapenem resistance
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
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