Abstract

Objective: To determine the prevalence of respiratory tract infections and the bacterial isolation profile from throat swab specimens of patients at Tay Nguyen University Hospital. 
Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 278 patients aged ≥10 years who were clinically diagnosed with respiratory tract infections from March to May 2025. Throat swab specimens were cultured and bacterial identification was performed using standard microbiological techniques. 
Results: The overall culture-positive rate was 61.2% (170/278). The predominant isolates included Streptococci (24.1%), Escherichia coli (18.2%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (16.5%), Staphylococcus aureus (12.4%), Streptococcus pneumoniae (10%), fungi (7.1%), and other bacteria (11.8%). A higher infection rate was observed in patients aged ≥60 years (75.4%, p<0.01). 
Conclusion: Streptococci, P. aeruginosa, and S. aureus were identified as the main causative agents. This study provides essential evidence for surveillance and guiding treatment strategies of respiratory tract infections.