title: Gram-negative bacilli isolated from patients in intensive care unit: prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility.
abstract: The surveillance of 100 gram-negative bacilli that were recovered from patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia showed that Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, and Enterobacter species, in this order, were the most frequently isolated organisms. The most common sites were respiratory tract (34%), wounds (24%), urinary tract (18%), and blood (11%). The resistance patterns towards different antimicrobial agents were determined by the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) using the E test. Imipenem, ciprofloxacin and amikacin were the most active agents against the isolates. Of the gram-negative isolates, 31% were resistant to at least two of the four major antibiotic groups (e.g. aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones, third generation cephalosporins, and carbapenems), and 6% to three of the groups. Twenty-nine percent of the gram-negative bacilli were resistant to ceftazidime. Ceftazidime-resistant bacteria were frequently resistant to monobactams, piperacillin/tazobactam and gentamicin.
authors.affiliation: King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: A T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Eltahawy
mesh_terms: D000583:Amikacin / Q000494:pharmacology; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001769:Blood / Q000382:microbiology; D015780:Carbapenems / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002511:Cephalosporins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002939:Ciprofloxacin / Q000494:pharmacology; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000382:microbiology*; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D015378:Imipenem / Q000494:pharmacology; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D015780:Carbapenems; D002511:Cephalosporins; D002939:Ciprofloxacin; D015378:Imipenem; D000583:Amikacin