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. 2024 Apr 27;13(5):400.
doi: 10.3390/antibiotics13050400.

Prevalence of Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance of ESKAPE Group Bacteria Isolated from Patients Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of a County Emergency Hospital in Romania

Alina-Simona Bereanu  1   2 , Rareș Bereanu  1 , Cosmin Mohor  1   2 , Bogdan Ioan Vintilă  1   2 , Ioana Roxana Codru  1   2 , Ciprian Olteanu  2 , Mihai Sava  1   2
Affiliations

Prevalence of Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance of ESKAPE Group Bacteria Isolated from Patients Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of a County Emergency Hospital in Romania

Alina-Simona Bereanu et al. Antibiotics (Basel). .

Abstract

The ESKAPE group (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella Pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter spp.) is a group of bacteria very difficult to treat due to their high ability to acquire resistance to antibiotics and are the main cause of nosocomial infections worldwide, posing a threat to global public health. Nosocomial infections with MDR bacteria are found mainly in Intensive Care Units, due to the multitude of maneuvers and invasive medical devices used, the prolonged antibiotic treatments, the serious general condition of these critical patients, and the prolonged duration of hospitalization.

Materials and methods: During a period of one year, from January 2023 to December 2023, this cross-sectional study was conducted on patients diagnosed with sepsis admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the Sibiu County Emergency Clinical Hospital. Samples taken were tracheal aspirate, catheter tip, pharyngeal exudate, wound secretion, urine culture, blood culture, and peritoneal fluid.

Results: The most common bacteria isolated from patients admitted to our Intensive Care Unit was Klebsiella pneumoniae, followed by Acinetobacter baumanii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Gram-positive cocci (Enterococcus faecium and Staphilococcus aureus) were rarely isolated. Most of the bacteria isolated were MDR bacteria.

Conclusions: The rise of antibiotic and antimicrobial resistance among strains in the nosocomial environment and especially in Intensive Care Units raises serious concerns about limited treatment options.

Keywords: ESKAPE group; KPC-KP; MDR bacteria; carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Microorganisms isolated from samples collected from patients with healthcare-associated infections in the Intensive Care Unit within the Sibiu County Emergency Clinical Hospital between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023—(x axis—number of positive samples).
Figure 2
Figure 2
The percentage of MDR strains from the total number of bacterial strains isolated from samples collected from patients with healthcare-associated infections between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023 (Intensive care unit of Sibiu County Clinical Emergency Hospital, Romania) MDR (multidrug-resistant), S (sensitivity).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Results of antibiotic susceptibility testing of K. pneumoniae isolated from critically ill patients between January and December 2023 (Intensive Care Unit of the Sibiu County Clinical Emergency Hospital, Romania) S (sensitivity), R (resistance), β-LI (beta-lactamase inhibitor).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Results of antibiotic susceptibility testing of Acinetobacter Baumannii isolated from critically ill patients between January and December 2023 (Intensive Care Unit of the Sibiu County Clinical Emergency Hospital, Romania). β-LI (beta-lactamase inhibitor), TMP/SMX (Trimethoprim and Sulfamethoxazole).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Results of antibiotic susceptibility testing of P. aeruginosa isolated from critically ill patients between January and December 2023 (Intensive Care Unit of the Sibiu County Clinical Emergency Hospital, Romania) S (sensitivity), R (resistance), β-LI (beta-lactamase inhibitor).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Results of antibiotic susceptibility testing of E. coli isolated from critically ill patients between January and December 2023 (Intensive Care Unit of the Sibiu County Clinical Emergency Hospital, Romania) S (sensitivity), R (resistance), β-LI (beta-lactamase inhibitor), TMP/SMX (Trimethoprim and Sulfamethoxazole).
Figure 7
Figure 7
Results of antibiotic susceptibility testing of Enterobacter cloacae isolated from critically ill patients between January and December 2023 (Intensive Care Unit of the Sibiu County Clinical Emergency Hospital, Romania) S (sensitivity), R (resistance), β-LI (beta-lactamase inhibitor), TMP/SMX (Trimethoprim and Sulfamethoxazole).
Figure 8
Figure 8
Results of antibiotic susceptibility testing of Enterococcus faecium isolated from critically ill patients between January and December 2023 (Intensive Care Unit of the Sibiu County Clinical Emergency Hospital, Romania) S (sensitivity), R (resistance).
Figure 9
Figure 9
Results of antibiotic susceptibility Staphylococcus aureus isolated from critically ill patients between January and December 2023 (Intensive Care Unit of the Sibiu County Clinical Emergency Hospital, Romania) S (sensitivity), R (resistance).
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