Antimicrobial Resistance in Bacterial Isolates Recovered from Nursing Hospitals between 2014 and 2017

• Main Authors: Seon Han Yun, Bareum Gwon, Hea Lim Hong, Hwan Seop Lim, Kyung Ryul Lee, Inho Jang, Eun-Jeong Yoon, Seok Hoon Jeong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology 2019-12-01
• Series: Annals of Clinical Microbiology
• Subjects: antimicrobial resistance; nursing hospital; surveillance study
• Online Access: https://www.acm.or.kr/article_aws/?num=kjcm2019_96
• ISSN: 2288-0585; 2288-6850

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an issue not only with regard to public health, but also in terms of economic impact. AMR surveillance has mainly been carried out in general hospitals, and not in nursing hospitals. This study was conducted to investigate the AMR rate for bacterial strains isolated from nursing hospital samples.Methods: Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) results from a total of 23,518 bacterial isolates recovered from clinical specimens taken in 61 nursing hosals were analyzed. AST was conducted using Vitek 2 with AST cards specific for the bacterial strains.Results: A total of 19,357 Gram-negative and 4,161 Gram-positive bacterial strains were isolated. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n=6,384) and Escherichia coli (n=5,468) were the most prevalent bacterial species and, among Gram-positive bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus (n=1,565) was common. The AMR rate was high for the following strains: cefotaxime-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, 77.4%; cefotaxime-resistant E. coli, 70.6%; imipenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, 90.3%; imipenem-resistant P. aeruginosa, 49.3%; oxacillin- resistant S. aureus, 81.1%, penicillin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis, 44.8%, and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium, 53.5%. AMR rate change varied by bacterial species and antimicrobial drug.Conclusion: AMR rates of major pathogens from nursing hospitals were higher than those from general hospitals with the exception of imipenem-resistant A. baumannii. Continuous monitoring and infection control strategies are needed. (Ann Clin Microbiol 2019;22:96-104)