ANTIBIOTICS RESISTANT PATTERN OF SOME GRAM-NEGATIVE BACTERIA ISOLATED FROM URINE OF SELECTED MALE STUDENTS IN AKWA IBOM STATE POLYTECHNIC

ABSTRACT Urinary tract infections (UTIs) remain among the most common bacterial infections globally and are often caused by gram-negative organisms. The emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains has become a major public health concern, especially in institutional environments where hygiene and self-medication practices are common. This study was conducted to determine the antibiotic resistance patterns of some gram-negative organisms isolated from urine samples collected from male students in Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic. Ten urine samples were collected from male students using standard aseptic techniques. Physical examination of the urine samples was made. Urinalysis was carried out using reagent strips to determine physicochemical parameters. Total bacterial counts were determined using nutrient agar, and isolates were identified through morphological and biochemical characterization according to standard microbiological procedures. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed using the disc diffusion method following the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI, 2020) guidelines. The urinalysis revealed positive reactions for urobilinogen (90%), bilirubin (60%), protein (80%), ascorbic acid (100%), and alkaline pH (90%), while glucose and blood were negative in all samples. Total bacterial counts ranged from 8.0×104 to 1.16×104 cfu/ml, which exceeded the WHO acceptable limit (