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Review
. 2024 Dec;13(1):2317915.
doi: 10.1080/22221751.2024.2317915. Epub 2024 Feb 23.

ESKAPE in China: epidemiology and characteristics of antibiotic resistance

Qixia Luo  1 , Ping Lu  1 , Yunbo Chen  1 , Ping Shen  1 , Beiwen Zheng  1 , Jinru Ji  1 , Chaoqun Ying  1 , Zhiying Liu  1 , Yonghong Xiao  1
Affiliations
Review

ESKAPE in China: epidemiology and characteristics of antibiotic resistance

Qixia Luo et al. Emerg Microbes Infect. 2024 Dec.

Abstract

The escalation of antibiotic resistance and the diminishing antimicrobial pipeline have emerged as significant threats to public health. The ESKAPE pathogens - Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter spp. - were initially identified as critical multidrug-resistant bacteria, demanding urgently effective therapies. Despite the introduction of various new antibiotics and antibiotic adjuvants, such as innovative β-lactamase inhibitors, these organisms continue to pose substantial therapeutic challenges. People's Republic of China, as a country facing a severe bacterial resistance situation, has undergone a series of changes and findings in recent years in terms of the prevalence, transmission characteristics and resistance mechanisms of antibiotic resistant bacteria. The increasing levels of population mobility have not only shaped the unique characteristics of antibiotic resistance prevalence and transmission within People's Republic of China but have also indirectly reflected global patterns of antibiotic-resistant dissemination. What's more, as a vast nation, People's Republic of China exhibits significant variations in the levels of antibiotic resistance and the prevalence characteristics of antibiotic resistant bacteria across different provinces and regions. In this review, we examine the current epidemiology and characteristics of this important group of bacterial pathogens, delving into relevant mechanisms of resistance to recently introduced antibiotics that impact their clinical utility in China.

Keywords: China; ESKAPE; antimicrobial resistance; epidemiology.

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Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Surveillance networks. Geographical distribution of sentinel hospitals of BRICS and CHINET. Due to the extensive number of sentinel hospitals in CARSS (exceeding 1,500), it is impractical to display them individually on the map. Therefore, CARSS sentinel hospitals have not been marked on the map.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Trends in the prevalence of the predominant antimicrobial resistant bacteria in China. (A) data from CHINET. (B) data from BRICS.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Antimicrobial resistance trends for E. faecium. (A). data from CHINET. (B). data from BRICS.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Antimicrobial resistance trends for S. aureus. (A, B). data from CHINET. (C). data from BRICS.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Antimicrobal resistance trends for K. pneumoniae. (A). data from CHINET. (B). data from BRICS.
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
Antimicrobial resistance trends for E. coli. (A). data from CHINET. (B). data from BRICS.
Figure 7.
Figure 7.
Antimicrobial resistance trends for A. baumannii. (A). data from CHINET. (B). data from BRICS.
Figure 8.
Figure 8.
Antimicrobial resistance trends for P. aeruginosa. (A). data from CHINET. (B). data from BRICS.
Figure 9.
Figure 9.
Antimicrobial resistance trends for Enterobacter species. (A). data from CHINET. (B). data from BRICS.
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