PREVALENCE OF POSITIVE CULTURE SAMPLES AND ASSOCIATED MICROORGANISMS AMONG CULTURES SAMPLES IN MICROBIOLOGY LABORATORY AT UGANDA MARTYRS HOSPITAL LABORATORY LUBAGA KAMPALA UGANDA.

INTRODUCTION: Microbiology culture before initiation of antimicrobial therapy is considered to be the gold standard for diagnosis of bacterial and fungal infections. In addition to facilitating the differentiation of harmless bacterial and fungal contaminants from bacterial pathogens. Accurate identification of specific bacterial and fungal species aids in the selection of antimicrobial and antifungal drugs. Failure to perform cultures and interpret results correctly may lead not only to diagnostic errors but to therapeutic failures as well. The study documents the Prevalence of positive culture samples and the microorganisms associated with the positive cultures at Uganda Martyrs Hospital Laboratory Lubaga Kampala METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study of randomly selected result reports was analyzed retrospectively for growth and the associated isolated organism from the positive samples. RESULTS: 100 culture sample results were reviewed. The prevalence of positive culture sample is 40%. This laboratory reported that 40 (40%) specimens had a positive culture with 34 (85%) were bacterial and 6 samples (15%) were fungal. All the fungal growth was confirmed Candida Albicans. Escherichia coli 47.9%, Enterococcus Faecalis 14.7%. Staphylococcus Haemolyticus 17.6% Staphylococcus Aureus 8.2%. Klebsiella Pneumoniae, Streptococci Viridans, Citrobacter Freundii and Acinetobacter Baumannii each account for 2.9%. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of 40% positive culture samples is a high prevalence that shouldn’t be overlooked. Escherichia Coli is the most commonly encountered microorganism in this laboratory. RECOMMENDATIONS: Hand and oral hygiene coupled with vigorous environmental decontamination should be re-emphasized for adequate pathogen control.  CLINICAL RELEVANCE: These preventive measures will control the spread of related infections and the rampant use of antibiotics. Controlled use of antibiotics plays a role in minimizing the raising antimicrobial resistance which is a major global health concern

Prevalence of Rifampicin Resistant Tuberculosis and its Associated factors among Patients at Lubaga Hospital.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the world's leading causes of adult morbidity and mortality resulting in an estimated 8.8 million incident cases and 1.4 million deaths Up to 92% of the TB cases occur in low and middle-income countries with the sub-Saharan Africa region hosting nine of the highest TB incidence countries globally Uganda is ranked 16th among the 22 high burden countries. It is estimated that nearly 60,000 MDR- TB cases occur annually in the sub-Saharan region and these comprise 14% of the global burden of TB. In Uganda West Nile, the general prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is reported to be 20.2% and MDR-TB is 2.7% Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive study about the prevalence of rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis and its associated factors among patients was conducted on 384 TB patients at Lubaga hospital. The patients were selected by simple random sampling and data was collected by the use of a structured questionnaire and analysis were done using SPSS version 17. Results: The prevalence of rifampicin resistance according to this study's findings was 10%. The predisposing factors to rifampicin resistance were cigarette smoking (P-Value = 0.001), history of prolonged stay with a TB infected patient, (P-Value = 0.001), and history of a previously treated episode of TB among the study respondents (P-Value = 0.001). Conclusion and recommendations The government of Uganda needs to carry out more intensified mass sensitization of people about the dangers of cigarette smoking, particularly to HIV infected individuals. In the same line of sensitization, people need to be continuously reminded by the ministry of health about the signs and symptoms of TB so that community members can identify suspects and refer them for specialized diagnosis and management such that delayed detection of the disease is minimized which will also reduce on rifampicin resistance.