Investigation on antimicrobial resistance pattern of Escherichia coli isolated from patients of Bangladesh

Abstract

In Bangladesh, the rise of antibacterial resistance in Escherichia coli is concerning and has become a growing public health threat. We conducted a retrospective analysis of clinical records of culture sensitivity data from Khulna for the last three years (2023–2025). Among 600 infection-positive samples, E. coli identified as the most prevalent organism, accounting for 34.5% of female and 27.5% of male cases. A subset of 35 E. coli isolates was cultured for identification by PCR. By Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion, AST was estimated and explained with CLSI criteria. Among 35 E. coli isolates, 30 (85.7%) were PCR-positive. Multiple drug resistance was detected in 93% and only 7% classified as Non-MDR, showing high resistance levels to all antibiotic classes which is a major concern. Highest resistance level was exhibited against metronidazole (100%) followed by cephalexin (93.4%), amoxiclav (92.2%) and azithromycin (90.4%). The speed with which resistance can spread in the country confirms the worrying rise of public health problems and necessitates immediate attention to overcome AMR.