Background: Sputum samples are often sent in the microbiology department for culture and sensitivity as lower respiratory tract infections are frequent among patients. The consequences of increased drug resistance are far reaching since bacterial infection of the lower respiratory tract is a major cause of death from infectious disease. Objective: To determine the commonly encountered bacterial pathogens in sputum samples along with their antibiogram in patients attending RIMS Hospital, Imphal. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted on sputum samples sent to the Microbiology Department during July 2015 to June 2016. Sputum samples were subjected to isolation and identification of bacteria by standard technique and subsequently antibiogram was carried out by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Results: Out of the 523 sputum samples evaluated, 208(39.77%) were culture positive for pathogenic bacteria. Gram negative bacterial isolates (58.94%) were predominant, among which Klebsiella pneumoniae (28.77%) was the major pathogen followed by Staphylococcus aureus (27.35%), Escherichia coli (20.23%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (6.60%), Coagulase Negative Stapylococcus (5.18%), Streptococcus pyogenes (4.71%), Streptococcus pneumoniae (3.77%), Acinetobacter spp. (1.41%), Enterobacter spp. (1.41%) and Proteus spp. (0.47%). Gram positive organisms showed high susceptibility to vancomycin and gentamicin; while majority of gram negative organisms had high susceptibility to aminoglycosides and carbepenems. Conclusion: Before starting empirical antibiotics on patients with lower respiratory tract infection, it is always advisable to obtain sputum for culture and antibiotic sensitivity test so as to avoid irrational drug usage and emergence of resistant strains.
