BACTERIAL EPIDEMIOLOGY AND ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE IN THE SURGERY WARDS OF A LARGE TEACHING HOSPITAL IN SOUTHERN ITALY

Abstract

Objectives: Surgical infections represent an increasingly important problem for the National Health System. In this study we retrospectively evaluated the bacterial epidemiology and antimicrobial susceptibility of the microorganisms concerned as well as the utilization of antibiotics in the General and Emergency Surgery wards of a large teaching hospital in southern Italy in the period 2011-2013.Methods: Data concerning bacterial isolates and antimicrobial susceptibility were retrieved from the Vitek II database. The pharmacy provided data about the consumption of antibiotics in the above reported wards. Chi-square or Fisher’s exact test were used to analyze categorical variables.Results: In all, 94 Gram-negative were isolated in 2011, 77 in 2012, and 125 in 2013, Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa always being the most frequently isolated microorganisms. In the same years, there were respectively 105, 93, and 165 Gram-positive isolated, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus being the most commonly found. No significant variation in the antibiotic susceptibility pattern was observed, either among Gram-negative or among Gram-positive pathogens; carbapenems (especially meropenem) consumption remained stable over time.Conclusions: Our results show no significant increase in antimicrobial resistance over the period in question, and a higher rate of both MRSA isolates and resistance to carbapenems in A. baumannii compared with other European data.