Evaluation of the quality of antibiotics sold in Lubumbashi (DR Congo) by MIC and MBC

Introduction: Antibiotics play a crucial role in reducing morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases worldwide. The objective of this study was to evaluate the MIC of beta-lactams and fluoroquinolones marketed in pharmacies in the city of Lubumbashi.

Material and methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted from December 22, 2024 to March 10, 2025. The study involved community-acquired Escherichia coli strains isolated from urinary tract infections; as well as 4 antibiotics from 3 different pharmaceutical companies operating in Lubumbashi: ciprofloxacin; norfloxacin; amoxicillin + clavulanic acid and ceftriaxone.

Results: The pharmaceutical firm 1 has revealed that the Escherichia coli strains had MICs within the normal range for amoxicillin + clavulanic acid (5 strains/5); norfloxacin (3 strains/2).

For company 2, amoxicillin + clavulanic acid and norfloxacin had MICs within the normal range for all 5 strains. And for company 3, all 5 strains had MICs within the normal range for amoxicillin + clavulanic acid. The MBC/MIC report of antibiotics from different pharmaceutical firms, for which the MICs were within CLSI standards, revealed that the CMIs were bactericidal.

Conclusion: The antibiotics from pharmaceutical company 2 performed well compared to those from other companies; followed by the antibiotics from pharmaceutical company 1 and those from pharmaceutical company 3.