Purpose: This study reports a cross-sectional investigation to determine the antimicrobial
resistance pattern of the common bacterial contaminants isolated from hospitalized patients
in Mogadishu, Somalia.
Materials and Methods: A total of 328 clinical samples comprising urine, blood, vaginal
swab, pus aspirates, and stool were collected from a public hospital located in Mogadishu the
capital city of Somalia between October 2019 to March 2020. The isolation and biochemical
characterization of the bacterial isolates were performed using the conventional culture and
biochemical assay tests. Similarly, antimicrobial susceptibility was determined using the
Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion.
Results: A total of 275 pathogenic bacteria that include Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia
coli, Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Proteus vulgare, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Salmonella spp.
were detected with an overall detection rate of 78.4% (257/328). Among the bacterial
pathogens isolated from clinical specimens, 152 (46.3%) were Staphylococcus aureus, 60
(18.3%) were E. coli, 10 (3.1%) Proteus vulgaris, 6 (1.8%) Klebsiella pneumonia, and 1
(0.3%) isolate was found to be Salmonella sp. The antimicrobial susceptibility assay revealed
variable resistance pattern with clindamycin (40%), ampicillin (27%), vancomycin (26%),
levofloxacin (23%), amoxicillin (20%), ciprofloxacin (18%) and nitrofurantoin (12%) show
ing the highest rate of resistance. Moreover, evaluation of multidrug resistance showed that
Staphylococcus aureus had the highest multidrug resistance rate, with 19 isolates showing
resistance to more than two drugs, followed by E. coli with three isolates. In contrast, each of
Proteus vulgare, Salmonella sp. and Klebsiella pneumonia had one isolate each that exhib
ited multidrug resistance characteristics.
Conclusion: The findings of this study showed the occurrence of a number antimicrobial-
resistant bacterial pathogens whose prevalence varies with age and sex. Therefore, there is
a need for comprehensive antimicrobial profiling of bacterial isolates during the management
of patients in the hospital.
Keywords: nosocomial infection, antimicrobial resistance, Somalia, multidrug-resistant
pathogens, hygiene, sanitation