Antibiotic sensitivity of enteropathogenic bacteria isolated from patients in a Sharjah hospital

In vitro activity of ceftazidime-avibactam, ceftolozane-tazobactam, and other comparable agents against clinically important Gram-negative bacilli: results from the 2017 Surveillance of Multicenter Antimicrobial Resistance in Taiwan (SMART)

Objectives

We investigated the in vitro antimicrobial susceptibilities of clinically important Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) from 16 major teaching hospitals in Taiwan in 2017.

Materials and methods

Escherichia coli (n=686) and Klebsiella pneumoniae bloodstream isolates (n=673), non-typhoid Salmonella (NTS; n=221) from various sources, Shigella species (n=21) from fecal samples, and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (n=129) from the genitourinary tract were collected. Antibiotic minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined using the broth microdilution method. Alleles encoding K. pneumoniae carbapenemases (KPCs), New Delhi metallo-β-lactamases (NDMs), Verona integron-encoded metallo-β-lactamase, imipenemase, _OXA-48-like, and mcr-1-5 genes were detected by molecular methods in Enterobacteriaceae isolates.

Results

Five (0.7%) E. coli isolates harbored mcr-1 alleles. Twenty-four (3.6%), seven (1.0%), four (0.6%), and one (0.15%) K. pneumoniae isolates contained bla_KPC, bla_OXA-48-like, mcr-1, and bla_NDM, respectively. Three (1.4%) NTS and no Shigella isolates harbored mcr-1 genes. Seventy-one (10.5%) K. pneumoniae isolates displayed non-susceptibility (NS) to carbapenem agent(s). Phenotypically extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing K. pneumoniae isolates showed significantly higher rates of ertapenem, tigecycline, and ceftolozane–tazobactam (CLZ– TAZ) NS (40.2%, 16.3%, and 71%–80%, respectively) than E. coli isolates exhibiting ESBL phenotypes (5.4%, 0.7%, and 18%–28%, respectively). All phenotypically ESBL-producing E. coli isolates were ceftazidime–avibactam (CAZ–AVB) susceptible. Two (8.3%) KPC-producing K. pneumoniae isolates showed CAZ–AVB NS. Hospital-acquired K. pneumoniae isolates were significantly less susceptible to ertapenem and CLZ–TAZ than hospital-acquired E. coli isolates.

Conclusion

Third-generation cephalosporins remain the optimal choice for treating NTS, Shigella, and gonococcal infections in Taiwan. Hospital-acquired and phenotypically ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae are a heavy resistance burden in Taiwan.

A survey of antimicrobial resistance in a tertiary referral hospital in the United Arab Emirates

Published data on antimicrobial resistance are lacking for the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Knowledge of local patterns of resistance is essential to optimize guidelines for empirical antimicrobial treatment. Awareness of susceptibility patterns in other parts of the world may be important for determining empirical antimicrobial therapy for travelers or patients transferred from abroad. Antibiograms from unique isolates of common hospital and community bacteria are described in a tertiary referral hospital in the UAE, which had no antimicrobial restrictions and limited resources. Antimicrobial resistance rates were unpredictable and were high for Gram-negative organisms, such as Escherichia coli, Shigella sonnei, Campylobacter spp, and also Streptococcus pneumoniae. In contrast, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) comprised less than 5% of S. aureus isolates and glycopeptide-resistant enterococci (GRE) were not detected during the surveillance period. Our results provide data on antimicrobial resistance for the UAE and highlight the need for resources for surveillance of antimicrobial resistance.

The minimum inhibitory concentration of seventeen antimicrobials for Salmonella isolates from septic patients

Herein we are reporting, for the first time in Kuwait, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of Salmonella blood culture isolates vs. 17 clinically relevant antimicrobial agents. The screening of blood culture specimens was performed with the most advanced Bactec 9240 (Becton Dickinson). From over 20,000 blood cultures, 112 Salmonella isolates were obtained from 67 patients. Their MICs were determined using the automated Vitek microdilution technique (Biomerieux Vitek Inc.). During the whole 1991-1995 study period, the MICs for cefotaxime, ceftazidime, aztreonam, amikacin, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin and imipenem were below their respective susceptibility breakpoints. Resistance to chloramphenicol, ampicillin and cotrimoxazole varied from year to year, from 18% to 50%, except in 1991 when it was nil (1991 was the first year after the Gulf War, with very few newcomers from the Indian subcontinent). All ampicillin-susceptible S. typhi isolates had extremely low MIC values (< or = 0.25 microgram/ml).