PREVALENCE OF PROTEUS SPECIES IN CLINICAL SAMPLES, IDENTIFICATION AND ANTIBIOTIC SENSITIVITY PATTERN IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL, RAJASTHAN.

Proteus species are amongst the most common predisposed pathogen in hospitals as well as community acquired infections. It's phenomenal evolution and increase of multi – drug resistance pattern calls for regular review of Antimicrobial resistance pattern in order to initiate customary antibiotic therapy. Hence, this study was aimed to elucidate the prevalence, isolation and identication of Proteus sp. in various clinical samples along with their Antimicrobial resistance pattern and ESBL producing strains. T Method : his was a prospective study conducted at the Department of Microbiology JLN Medical College , Ajmer for the year 2016. Various clinical samples were processed as per standard protocols and Proteus isolates were conrmed using screening and conrmatory techniques. The prevalence Results: of the Proteus species was observed to be 4.77% . A total of 8806 samples were received at our lab out of which 3727 samples were culture positive from which 178 (4.77%) samples conrmed the isolation of Proteus sp. The maximum isolates were from Pus samples (87/178) 48.87% followed by urine (50/178) 28.08%, sputum (11/178) 6.17% , blood (10/178) 5.61%, stool (8/178) 4.49% , vaginal swabs (6/178 ) 3.37% while CSF and other samples contributed 1.68 % each. P.mirabilis strains showed higher propensity than other strains. The in-patients showed signicantly higher no. of isolates as compared to outpatients . Also age, gender and seasonal trends were observed in patients acquiring the infection. This study showed high Interpretation: prevalence of Proteus mirabilis in the community under study and these strains have higher anti microbial resistance (AMR). Therefore a regular funded research to review the AMR pattern can prove to be benecial for the clinician in formulating rational antibiotic policy and also in controlling resistance.