A Four-Year Trend of Ceftriaxone Resistance and Associated Risk Factors Among Different Clinical Samples in Wad Medani, Sudan: A Cross-Sectional Retrospective Study

Introduction In sub-Saharan Africa, including Sudan, there is commonly no local data on the bacterial profile or antibiotic resistance pattern. Therefore, to bridge these gaps, this study aimed to evaluate ceftriaxone resistance patterns and associated risk factors among different clinical samples. Methods This study was a laboratory-based, retrospective, cross-sectional study. All clinical specimens were obtained from patients at Wad Medani and examined at the Pathology Center for Diagnosis and Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Gezira, Sudan, from January 2020 to October 2023. Results Overall, 1784 specimens exhibited bacterial growth over four years. Of these, 1260 (70.6%) were females. Approximately one-third of the 588 (33%) studied patients were aged 30 to 44 years. Of the studied samples, 1108 (62.1%) were urine, and 465 (26.1%) were wound swabs. Staphylococcus aureus (697, 39.1%) and Escherichia coli (656, 36.8%) were the most frequently encountered bacteria. Generally, ceftriaxone resistance has been evaluated in 150 positive culture samples. The overall ceftriaxone resistance rate was 106 (70.7%). The greatest proportion of ceftriaxone resistance was observed in 4/4 (100%) of Klebsiella spp. and 66/82 (80.5%) of E. coli strains. The type of isolate (95% Cl, p-value ; 0.006) and type of bacterial stain (95% Cl, p-value 0.013) have been significantly associated with ceftriaxone resistance, in which Gramnegative bacteria had a greater resistance rate of 98/132 (74.2%) than Gram-positive bacteria 8/18 (44.4%). Conclusions This study revealed a high rate of ceftriaxone resistance. The most resistant bacteria were Klebsiella spp. and E. coli . The type of isolate and bacterial stain were significantly associated with ceftriaxone resistance. Therefore, hospitals should immediately and significantly modify their antibiotic prescription policy to give doctors a consistent strategy for the rational, safe, and effective administration of antibiotics.