Background: Lower respiratory tract infections are among the most
common infectious diseases of humans worldwide and continue to be a
major cause of morbidity in Nigeria. This study focused on determining
the microbial agents of lower respiratory tract infections, the effect
of age and gender on its prevalence, and the susceptibility profile of
bacterial isolates. Methods: Sputum specimens were collected from
1539 patients with symptoms of lower respiratory tract infections. The
sputum specimens were processed to recover microbial aetiologic agents
and susceptibility profiles of bacterial isolates were determined using
standard techniques. Results: An overall prevalence of 18.91% of
lower respiratory tract infections was observed in this study. There is
no difference in the prevalence of lower respiratory tract infection
between the genders (P = 0.649). The prevalence of lower respiratory
tract infections increases significantly with age (P < 0.001), with
patients 71 years and older having the highest prevalence. Klebsiella
pneumoniae was the most predominant isolate causing lower respiratory
tract infection while Acinetobacter species were the least predominant
isolate. The fluoroquinolones, β-lactams, and gentamicin showed
moderate to high activity. Conclusion: Gender did not affect the
prevalence, but age did. β-lactams, fluoroquinolones, and
gentamicin were the most active antibacterial agents and, therefore,
the drugs of choice in treating lower respiratory tract infections in
our setting
