title: In vitro susceptibility to meropenem and other antimicrobial agents among gram-negative bacilli isolated from hospitalized patients in central India.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Growing multiple drug resistance among gram-negative bacilli among hospitalized patients is a serious therapeutic problem, and the aim of the study was to assess the situation in our hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Antimicrobial susceptibility testing with the disk method was carried out on 1,533 isolates of gram-negative bacilli from urine, pus, body fluid and blood from hospitalized patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventeen percent of isolates were susceptible only to meropenem and either to piperacillin + tazobactam, to cefoperazone + sulbactam or to both. Eleven percent of isolates were susceptible only to meropenem and 6% were resistant to all antimicrobial agents including meropenem.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Growing multiple drug resistance among gram-negative bacilli in hospital practice demands a rigid antibiotic policy and strict infection control measures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Choithram Hospital and Research Centre, Indore, India. vikrant_chitnis@rediffmail.com
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chitnis
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Chitnis
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hemvani
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Chitnis
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D000077731:Meropenem; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D013845:Thienamycins / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D013845:Thienamycins; D000077731:Meropenem