Clonal dissemination and resistance genes among <i>Stenotrophomonas maltophilia</i> in a Greek University Hospital during a four-year period

Abstract

<abstract> <p>Treatment of <italic>Stenotrophomonas maltophilia</italic> infections comprises of sulfamethoxazole/tripethoprim (SXT) or fluoroquinolones. We investigated antimicrobial resistance, presence of resistance genes (<italic>sul1</italic>, <italic>smqnr</italic>) and clonal dissemination in <italic>S. maltophilia</italic> from a university hospital. Among 62 isolates, 45 (73%) represented infection. Two isolates (3%) were resistant to SXT and three (5%) to levofloxacin. Twenty-nine isolates (47%), including two out of three levofloxacin-resistant, carried <italic>smqnr</italic>. Resistance of <italic>S. maltophilia</italic> was low and was not associated with <italic>sul1</italic> or <italic>smqnr</italic> carriage. Although high degree of genetic diversity was identified (29 pulsotypes), 22/62 (35.5%) strains were classified into four clones; clone b was associated with bacteraemias.</p> </abstract>