Microbial and Antibiotic Susceptibility Profiles among Pleural Effusion Exudative Samples

Background and Objectives: Infection of pleural fluid is a common disease and because of antibiotic administration, the microbiology of this fluid has changed. The aim of this study was to determine the common bacteria and suitable antibiotics for treatment in pleural effusion (PE). Materials and Methods: In this cross sectional study, 1210 samples with exudative features were cultured for possible growth of microbial pathogens and then examined for antibiotics sensitivity. Samples’ characteristics were then analyzed according to the age and sex difference. Results: Among 1210 exudative pleural effusions, 38.2% were obtained from females and 61.8% from males. Of 142 pleural fluid samples, 11.7% had a positive culture. Aerobic gram negative organism was the most common type among the other samples with a prevalence of 52% followed by aerobic gram positive (25.3%), nonaerobic gram negative (15.7%), nonaerobic gram positive (6.2%) and fungi (0.8%). E. coli, Staphylococcus Aureus and Acinetobacter baumannii were the most common types of organism among adult population. Conclusion: Aerobic gram positive bacteria had the highest prevalence among the pathogens, and cephalosporins, aminopenicillins and β-lactams were the most effective antibiotics for their treatment.