Screening of Bloodborne Pathogens and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing Among Cancer Patients

Aim: To screen bloodborne pathogens and test for antimicrobial susceptibility among patients with differenttypes of cancer. Materials and
Methods: Fifty volunteers undergoing chemotherapy in Madurai, Tamilnadu(14 males and 36 females) provided blood samples with consent for identification of pathogens by streakingon different selective and differential media. The antibiotic sensitivity for the entire isolates were tested by theKirby-Bauer method.
Results: Pseudomonas aeruginosa was found to be present in more samples than Proteusmirabilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and E.coli. Percentage sensitivities of blood pathogens to selected antibioticswere found to be: Amikacin 61%, Gentamicin 68%, Co-Trimoxole 31%, and Cefepime 42.8%.