Diversity and antibiograms of bacteria isolated from cutaneous leishmaniasis wounds in the Nkwanta South District of Ghana

Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease caused by an intracellular protozoan parasite. The presence of secondary bacterial infections in cutaneous leishmaniasis wounds exacerbate lesion development and could lead to delay in the healing process. This study sought to determine the resistance patterns of bacteria co-infecting cutaneous leishmaniasis wounds from selected communities in the Nkwanta district. Various bacteria were isolated and characterized from exudates obtained from wound swabs collected with sterile cotton tipped applicators. Confirmation of bacterial identity was done using the analytical profile index and the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry. Antibiotic susceptibility tests were performed using agar disc diffusion method according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute breakpoint values. A total of eleven (11) secondary bacterial species ( spp ) were isolated from the 33 wound samples that tested positive for Leishmania kinetoplast DNA, among which Staphylococcus aureus was the most predominant (31%). The pathogenic bacteria that colonized the wounds included Bacillus subtilis (23.8%), Pantoea species (11.9%), Klebsiella pneumoniea (7.1%), Enterobacter cloacae (7.1%), Aeromonas species (4.8%), Serratia marcescens (4.8%), Serratia liquefacien (2.4%), Serratia plymutheca (2.4%), Providencia rettgeri (2.4%) and Cronobacter species (2.4%). Most of the isolates were resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics and the third-generation cephalosporin. Notably, 84.6% of the S. aureus isolates were methicillin and ciprofloxacin resistant whilst 92.3% were resistant to ampicillin. About sixty-nine percent (69.2%) showed intermediate susceptibility to Erythromycin. Additionally, S. plymutheca was resistant to all the test antibiotics. This study suggests colonization of cutaneous leishmaniasis wounds with varied bacterial species that are mostly resistant to beta-lactam group of antibiotics.