This study investigated the presence of Klebsiella pneumoniae in urine samples obtained in Wukari metropolis. Sterile containers
with boric acid were used to collect mid-stream urine samples from 20 hospitalised and 20 non-hospitalised patients aged 18-50.
Additionally, sterile swabs were used to collect samples from doorknobs in patient wards. Using the streak-plate technique, samples were cultured on MacConkey agar at 37°C for 24 hours. Morphological and biochemical characterizations were used to make a presumptive identification of the bacterial isolates. The khe genes common to Klebsiella species were identified using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) methods with fw (5’-TGATTGCATTCGCCACTGG-3’) and rev (5’- GGTCAACCCAACGATCCTG-3’) primers. The antimicrobial sensitivity assay was performed using the agar diffusion method. All isolates were sensitive to Chloramphenicol 30µg (≥21mm), Gentamycin 30µg (≥22mm), Streptomycin 30µg (≥22mm), and Ciprofloxacin 30µg (≥24mm). Additionally, the isolates showed multi-drug resistance to Augmentin 30µg (≤13mm) and Amoxicillin 30µg (≤11mm). Klebsiella pneumoniae was not isolated from any of the non-hospitalised patients' samples but was isolated from 25% of hospitalised patients' samples, indicating that Klebsiella pneumoniae is a hospital-acquired infection (HAI). Furthermore, Klebsiella pneumoniae was isolated from samples obtained from doorknobs in patient wards. Klebsiella pneumoniae has shown to be prevalent in the hospital environment, as evidenced by its isolation from samples obtained in patient wards and among hospitalised patients. Consequently, hospital equipment and environments should be kept clean at all times, and strict infection control protocols along with regular antimicrobial stewardship programs should be implemented in hospital settings to prevent the spread of multi-drug resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae.