National Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance, Thailand (NARST) data among clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Thailand from 2000 to 2005.

Objective: To determine the prevalence, clinical epidemiology, and antimicrobial susceptibility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Thailand from 2000 to 2005.
Material and Method: Using WHONET data from 28 hospitals participating in the National Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Thailand (NARST) program, all data were reviewed and analyzed for the prevalence, clinical epidemiology, and antimicrobial susceptibility of clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa from 2000 to 2005.
Results: During the six-year surveillance, the prevalence of P. aeruginosa in clinical isolates was constant among 28 hospitals. The most common sites of isolation included sputum, pus, and urine. The most active antimicrobials were netilmicin (88% to 90.8%), cefoperazone/sulbactam (85.1% to 89.5%), imipenem (84.6% to 87.2%), and meropenem (84.5%). The resistance to ceftazidime was very high, ranging from 24.6-27.4%. The prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) P. aeruginosa (resistance to amikacin, ciprofloxacin, and ceftazidime) was constant. Some hospitals in Central and Eastern regions had the prevalence of MDR up to 20% to 30% of the isolates.
Conclusion: According to NARST data, the antimicrobial resistance rates of P. aeruginosa remains constant with the exception of relatively high rates in ceftazidime. The prevalence of MDR P. aeruginosa is generally low with a moderately high prevalence in some hospitals.