infections in a general hospital: characteristics and outcomes

G. Samonis (1) , E. K. Vouloumanou (2) , M. Christofaki (1) , D. Dimopoulou (1) , S. Maraki (3) , E. Triantafyllou (2, 4) , D. P. Kofteridis (1) , M. E. Falagas (2, 5, 6)

1 Department of Internal Medicine
2 Alfa Institute of Biomedical Sciences (AIBS)
3 Department of Clinical Microbiology
4 NTUA - National Technical University of Athens [Athens]
5 Department of Medicine
6 Department of Medicine

We aimed to present our experience regarding infections caused by spp. in a region with relatively high antimicrobial resistance rates. We retrospectively reviewed the databases of the microbiological laboratory of the University Hospital of Heraklion, Crete (2/2004-12/2009). A total of 77 patients [67.5% men, mean age ± standard deviation (SD) = 56.9 ± 24.5 years) were identified; 37.7% were outpatients. Sixty-five (84.4%) of the 77 included patients had a isolate; the remaining 12 patients had a non-marcescens spp. The most frequently observed infections were respiratory tract infection (32.5%) and keratitis/endophthalmitis (20.8%). Seventy-three (94.9%) patients were cured. Four deaths were observed; three of them were considered as attributed to the infection. No difference was found regarding the characteristics and outcomes between patients with and non-marcescens infections. In addition, antipseudomonal penicillins and their combinations with beta-lactamase inhibitors, as well as carbapenemes, and fluoroquinolones exhibited high antimicrobial activity against both the tested and non-marcescens isolates. Our study adds useful information regarding the characteristics and outcomes of patients with infection, as well as the susceptibilities of the respective and non-marcescens isolates, in a region with relatively high levels of antimicrobial resistance.

Mots clés: Life Sciences

G. Samonis, E. K. Vouloumanou, M. Christofaki, D. Dimopoulou, S. Maraki, et al.. infections in a general hospital: characteristics and outcomes. European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, 2011, 30 (5), pp.653-660. ⟨10.1007/s10096-010-1135-4⟩. ⟨hal-00658170⟩