Associate Professor, Consultant Medical Microbiologist

Objective: To present trends of resistance to ciprofloxacin among common organisms isolated at King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH) between 2001-2005. Methods: Ciprofloxacin susceptibility of all isolates of Gram negative and Gram positive organisms were retrospectively obtained during the period from 2001-2005 in KKUH. Data from intensive care unit (ICU) and non-ICU patients were separately analyzed. Results: Escherichia coli (E.coli) resistance increased from 10 % in 2001 to 22 % in 2005. Enterobacter cloacae (Ent.cloacae) resistance decreased from 11-14 % in 2003-2004 to 7 % as in 2001 and 2005. Klebsiella pneumoniae ( K.pneumoniae) resistance fluctuated from 6 % in 2002 and 2003, 13 % in 2004 to 6 % in 2005. Pseudomonas aeruginosa ( P.aeruginosa) resistance ranged from 7 %- 8 % during this study period while that of Acinetobacter spp. ranged between 45 % to 62 % and Staphylococcus aureus ( S.aureus) resistance doubled from 18 % in 2001 to 39 % in 2005. None of Streptococcus pneumoniae (S.pneumoniae) isolates showed resistance to ciprofloxacin. Isolates of E.coli, Acinetobacter spp. and S.aureus from non-ICU patients showed higher re-sistance to ciprofloxacin than isolates from ICU patients while K.pneumoniae and P.aeruginosa showed higher resistance from ICU patients than isolates from non-ICU patients. Conclusion: Ciprofloxacin resistance among many Gram negative species and S.aureus is an increasing threat among many Gram negative species and S.aureus in our hospital in both ICU and non-ICU patients