Year: 2026 | Month: April | Volume: 16 | Issue: 4 | Pages: 60-69
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijhsr.20260408
Bacteriological Profile and Antimicrobial Resistance Pattern in Surgical Site Infection among Post-operative Oral cavity and Head and Neck Cancer Patients - First Report from Tertiary Cancer Centre of Tripura, India
Debapriya Baidya1, Uma Debbarma2, Saikat Dey3, Shiromani Debbarma4, Sukanta Nath5, Ankita Debnath6, Matrujyoti Pattnaik7
1Medical Officer, Department of Microbiology, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Regional Cancer Centre, Agartala, Tripura, India
2Medical Officer, Department of Microbiology, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Regional Cancer Centre, Agartala, Tripura, India
3Laboratory Technician, Department of Microbiology, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Regional Cancer Centre, Agartala, Tripura, India
4Medical Superintendent, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Regional Cancer Centre, Agartala, Tripura, India
5Research Scientist, Department of Molecular Oncology, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Regional Cancer Centre, Agartala, Tripura, India
6PhD Research Scholar, Department of Nursing, Desh Bhagat University, Gobindgarh, Punjab, India
7PhD Research Scholar, Department of Microbiology & Public Health, ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.
Corresponding Author: Dr. Sukanta Nath
ABSTRACT
Postoperative infections in head and neck cancer (HNC), especially oral cavity cases, pose a serious clinical challenge, contributing to higher morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study was to identify the microbial pathogens responsible for surgical site infections (SSIs) in patients with oral cavity and HNC, and to characterise the antimicrobial resistance pattern. This retrospective study at a tertiary oncology centre analysed 498 patients undergoing surgery for oral cavity & HNC between January 1, 2023, and October 30, 2024. Demographic data, microbial isolates, and antimicrobial resistance were documented, compiled in Microsoft Excel, and statistically evaluated. Among 498 patients, 295 (59.2%) had HNC and 203 (40.8%) oral cavity malignancies, with SSIs occurring in 13.05% of cases. Gram-negative bacilli were the leading pathogens, comprising 94% of isolates in oral cavity cases and 60% in HNC, with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae as the most common. Staphylococcus aureus was the most frequent Gram-positive isolate, present in 32% of HNC patients. Resistance profiling showed GNB had high resistance to third-generation cephalosporins, with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Enterobacter spp. exceeding 80%. Carbapenem resistance was notably high in Klebsiella pneumoniae (>60%). Among Gram-positive cocci, Staphylococcus aureus exhibited substantial β-lactam resistance, though all isolates remained fully susceptible to linezolid. The alarming resistance trends observed among pathogens isolated from SSIs in patients with head and neck and oral cavity cancers underscore a critical challenge.
Key words: Surgical site infection, oral cavity cancer, gram-negative bacilli, gram-positive cocci, antimicrobial resistance