Rapidly Rising Prevalence of Nosocomial Multidrug-Resistant, Gram-Negative Bacilli: A 9-Year Surveillance Study

Abstract

AbstractObjective:To examine and quantify the temporal trends of nosocomial multidrug-resistant, gram-negative bacilli.Design:A 9-year surveillance study was conducted. Multidrug resistance was defined as resistance to 3 or more antimicrobial classes.Setting:Tertiary-care institution.Results:From 1994 to 2002, multidrug-resistant, gram-negative bacilli increased from 1% to 16% for multidrug-resistantPseudomonas aeruginosa,4% to 13% for multidrug-resistantEnterobacterspecies, 0.5% to 17% for multidrug-resistantKlebsiellaspecies, 0% to 9% for multidrug-resistantProteusspecies, and 0.2% to 4% for multidrug-resistantEscherichia coli(P≤ .05). The most common pattern of multidrug resistance was co-resistance to quinolones, third-generation cephalosporins, and aminoglycosides.Conclusion:The rapid rise of multidrug-resistant, gram-negative bacilli may warrant infection control programs to include these pathogens in strategies aimed at limiting the emergence and spread of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens.