Bacteriological Profile and their Antibiogram from Cases of Acute Exacerbations of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Hospital Based Study

Background and objectives: Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) are defined as presence of increased sputum volume, sputum purulence and dyspnoea. Bacteria are responsible for causing 30-50% of exacerbations. As only few studies are done in this field from India, the present study was undertaken to see the bacteriological profile and the resistant pattern of the isolates from cases diagnosed with this pathology. Settings and Design: It was a prospective study carried out at Kasturba Hospital Manipal, Karnataka from June, 2006-Dec, 2006. Methods: The present study comprised of 75 patients (53 treated as in-patients and 22 as out-patients). All the sputum samples were subjected to gram staining, bacterial culture and antibiotic sensitivity for bacterial isolates as per standard techniques. Results: Growth of pathogens was obtained from 50.94% of sputum samples in case of in-patients and 68.18% in out-patients. Gram negative bacilli outnumbered the growth of other organisms. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (25.92%) was the predominant organism in hospitalized patients, whereas Klebsiella pneumoniae (33.33%) was the most common pathogen isolated from out-patients. Haemophilus influenzae was not isolated. Quinolones were found to be the most effective antibiotics against gram negative organisms. Conclusions: The bacterial etiology of AECOPD is different in India from what has been shown in western studies. More studies involving large patient populations will provide better understanding of its bacterial etiology and thus proper management of disease.