Distribution and Antibiotic Profiles of Bacteria Isolated from Different Clinical Cases in a General Mosul Hospital: A Retrospective Study in Mosul City, Iraq

Background: Healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial resistance remain major challenges in hospitals where local culture-based surveillance is limited. Objective: To determine the distribution of bacterial isolates recovered from different clinical specimens and describe their antimicrobial-resistance profiles in a general hospital in Mosul, Iraq. Methodology: A retrospective cross-sectional laboratory-based study was performed in the bacteriology laboratory of General Mosul Hospital, Mosul, Iraq, from March to December 2025. Records of 381 clinical specimens were reviewed. Bacteria were isolated and identified by routine culture and biochemical methods, and susceptibility was tested by the modified Kirby-Bauer disk-diffusion method according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute criteria. Results: Significant bacterial growth was recorded in 247/381 specimens (64.8%), while 134/381 (35.2%) showed no growth. The leading organisms were Escherichia coli, 57(23.1% of positive specimens); Streptococcus agalactiae, 47 (19.0%); Staphylococcus aureus, 45(18.2%); Staphylococcus hominis, 30(12.1%); Klebsiella pneumoniae, 19(7.7%); Staphylococcus epidermidis, 18(7.3%); Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 17(6.9%); Enterococcus faecalis, 14 (5.7%); and Acinetobacter baumannii, 10(4.0%). Urine was the most frequent specimen category, 233/381 (61.2%). Possible extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales accounted for 70/247 (28.3%) positive specimens, carbapenem-non-susceptible Enterobacterales for 19/247 (7.7%), and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus for 14/247 (5.7%). Conclusion: The findings demonstrate a substantial burden of bacterial infection and antimicrobial resistance and support routine cumulative antibiogram reporting, confirmatory testing of major resistance mechanisms, and strengthened antimicrobial stewardship.