Bullet-related bacterial wound infections among injured personnel at emergency site hospitals in Bahir Dar: prevalence, antimicrobial susceptibility and associated factors

Background Bullet-related bacterial wound infection can be caused by high-velocity bullets and shrapnel injuries.

In Ethiopia, significant injuries were reported that may cause severe wound infections, persistent systemic infections and may lead to amputation and mortality.

The magnitude, antimicrobial susceptibility profiles, and factors associated with bacterial wound infections among patients with bullet-related injuries are not yet studied particularly at health facilities in Bahir Dar, Northwest Ethiopia.

Therefore, this study was aimed to determine the prevalence, bacterial profiles, antimicrobial susceptibility profiles, and factors associated with bacterial infections among patients with bullet-related injuries at referral health facilities in Bahir Dar, Northwest Ethiopia.

Methods A Hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among patients with bullet-related injuries at three referral health facilities in Bahir Dar from May 25 to July 27, 2022.

A total of 384 patients with bullet-related injuries were included in the study.

Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected using a structured questionnaire.

Wound swabs were collected aseptically and cultured on Blood and MacConkey agar following bacteriological standards.

Biochemical tests were performed to differentiate bacteria for positive cultivation and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of the isolates were done on Muller Hinton agar using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion technique according to the 2021 Clinical Laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI) guideline.

The data were entered using Epi-Info version 7.3 and analyzed using SPSS version 25.

Descriptive data were presented using frequency, percentages, figures, and charts.

Logistic regression was carried out to identify factors associated with bacterial wound infections.

P -value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results The prevalence of bullet-related bacterial wound infection among three referral hospitals in Bahir Dar city was 54.7%.

The most commonly isolated Gram-negative organism was Klebsiella spps 49 (23.3%) while among Gram-positive organism, Staphylococcus aureus 58 (27.6%) and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CONS) 18 (8.6%).

Contamination, hospitalization and smoking habit were significantly associated with the presence of bullet-related bacterial wound infections.

Over 97% multidrug resistant (MDR) bacterial isolates were identified and of theses, E. coli , Proteus species, Citrobactor , and Staphylococcus aureus were highly drug resistant.

Conclusion Increased prevalence of bullet-related bacterial wound infection was noticed in this study.

S. aureus followed by Klebsiella species were most commonly isolated bacteria.

High frequency of resistance to Ampicillin, Oxacillin, Cefepime, Ceftriaxone, Ceftazidime, Vancomycin, and Norfloxacin was observed.

Therefore, proper handling of bullet injuries, prompt investigation of bacterial infections, monitoring of drug sensitivity patterns and antibiotic usage are critical.