Phenotypic and Genotypic Detection of Moraxella Catarrhalis Among Patients With Respiratory Tract and Otitis Media Infections

Respiratory tract infections are considerably prevalent worldwide and identifying their aetiological agents is of great medical and therapeutic value. The aims of the present study are to determine the prevalence of Moraxella catarrhalis among Sudanese patients infected with respiratory tract infections (upper and lower) and to determine the antibiotic sensitivity pattern of Moraxella catarrhalis isolates as well as the risk factors. Samples, which were collected from four hundred patients with upper and lower respiratory tract infections, were cultured. Then suspected Moraxella catarrhalis colonies were biochemically tested. Next, positive isolates were confirmed using polymerase chain reaction technique. Finally, antibiotic sensitivity tests were carried out and beta-lactmase production was inspected for each isolate using nitrocefin disks. After tests, 19 (4.7%) from the collected samples were positive for Moraxella catarrhalis. Of these, 15 (78.9%) isolates showed typical bands of M. catarrhalis while 4 (21.0%) isolates were negative. This study shows that Moraxella catarrhalis is an important respiratory tract pathogen in Sudan. The emergence of antibiotic resistance in Moraxella catarrhalis suggests that the incidence of these infections may continue to rise.