Evaluation of Antibiotic Resistance Patterns and Trends among Patients at Selected Secondary Healthcare Facilities in Taraba State, Nigeria (2019–2023)

Background: Antimicrobial resistance is a growing global public health challenge, disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income countries such as Nigeria, where surveillance and antimicrobial stewardship systems remain limited, particularly at secondary healthcare levels. Objective: This study evaluated antibiotic resistance patterns and temporal trends among bacterial isolates from patients attending selected secondary healthcare facilities in Taraba State, Nigeria, between 2019 and 2023. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted using microbiology laboratory records from three secondary healthcare facilities between January 2019 and December 2023. Data on patient demographics, specimen types, bacterial isolates, and antibiotic susceptibility test results were extracted and analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: A total of 2,057 patient samples were analysed, with females accounting for 55.1% and adults for 51.6% of cases. Urine (32.0%) and high vaginal swabs (21.6%) were the most common specimens. Overall antimicrobial resistance was 72.0%. High resistance rates were observed among coliforms (98.9%) and Proteus species (94.9%). Significant inter-facility variation was noted, with the highest resistance recorded at General Hospital Gembu (97.4%). Resistance peaked in 2019 and declined to 65.5% in 2023. Conclusion: Antimicrobial resistance remains alarmingly high in secondary healthcare facilities in Taraba State, with notable temporal and facility-level variations. Strengthening antimicrobial stewardship, laboratory capacity, and routine surveillance is urgently required. What this study adds: This study provides multi-year antimicrobial resistance data from secondary healthcare facilities in northeastern Nigeria, highlighting facility-specific patterns and temporal trends to inform targeted antimicrobial stewardship and infection prevention strategies.