PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA INFECTIONS IN THE 'SFÂNTA PARASCHEVA' INFECTIOUS DISEASES HOSPITAL OF IASI CITY

Background. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a dangerous, hard to treat pathogen, due to an increasing frequency of resistance to multiple antibiotics. This susceptibility pattern is influenced by multiple factors and it frequently has a regional or local character, different for each hospital or intensive care unit. Methods. We analysed and compared the characteristics of 62 patients and their isolated P. aeruginosa strains, treated in the “Sfânta Parascheva” Infectious Diseases Hospital of Iasi City between January and December 2011 (Group 1 – 25c) and between January and December 2016 (Group 2 – 37c). The susceptibility was tested by disk diffusion test; CLSI standards were used. Results. The median age was higher in group 2 (63 years) vs group 1 (52 years, p=0.04), more men were affected in both groups (59.2 vs 57.5%). In group 2 the strains were isolated from urine (50%), sputum (17.5%), wound secretions (15%), blood cultures (10%) or central venous catheters (7.5%); more than half may be of nosocomial origin; the infection mainly occurred in patients with significant comorbidities, long-term hospitalization (median - 15 days), ICU care or mechanical ventilation. We did not find a significant increase in the resistance rates in group 2 for the tested antibiotics; they remain high for almost every drug: 55 vs 60% for imipenem, 70 vs 62% for meropenem, 31 vs 41.7% for ceftazidime, 68 vs 75% for ciprofloxacin, 50 vs 42.8% for gentamicin, 63.6 vs 45.8% for amikacin, 46 vs 30% for piperacillin-tazobactam. All isolates were susceptible to colistin. The share of MDR isolates was slightly higher in group 2 (52 vs 61%, p=0.4). The treatment of these infections was difficult, with an average duration of 15 days; 20% of patients died. Conclusions. In our hospital, P. aeruginosa infections appeared predominantly in elderly patients, often in association with medical care, were associated with multidrug resistance to anti-biotics and sometimes had a guarded prognosis. The antibiotic susceptibility rates did not vary significantly in the two time intervals that we analysed.