Incidence of Microorganisms in Blood Cultures Processed at a Hospital in the State of Zulia and Resistance to Antimicrobial Agents

• Main Authors: América Paz, Alisbeth Fuenmayor, Lisette Sandrea, Eyilde Piña, María López, Paula Navarro
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English; Spanish
• Published: Universidad del Zulia,Facultad de Medicina,Departamento de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Tropicales 2015
• Subjects: Hemocultivo; bacteriemia; fungemia; resistencia antimicrobiana; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doaj.org/article/f6ea8c3abb084457a8438832017a0026

Bloodstream infections cause significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. To determine incidence of the main microorganisms isolated from blood cultures and their antimicrobial resistance in a university hospital, 31,486 blood culture reports processed from January, 2008, to December, 2012, were reviewed. The percentage of positive blood cultures was 9.49%; the highest number was obtained in intensive care units (36.22%). 3,054 microorganisms were isolated: 67.62% Gram positive, 25.51% Gram negative, 6.84% yeast and 0.03% strict anaerobes. The predominant organisms were coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, S. aureus, Candida spp., Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterococcus spp., Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Both, S. aureus and the coagulase-negative species showed high resistance to oxacillin (72.0% and 88.9%, respectively) and sensitivity to vancomycin. A 26.4% of enterococci (E. faecium almost exclusively) were resistant to vancomycin. Acinetobacter baumannii and K. pneumoniae showed a high rate of resistance to the tested antibiotics. Overall, most of the microorganisms showed a progressive increase in antimicrobial resistance during the five years studied. It is necessary to review and adjust hospital policies for antibiotic use and strengthen control measures for the infected patient.