title: [Antimicrobial resistance of Gram negative bacilli isolated from tertiary-care hospitals in Colombia].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Antimicrobial resistance has been identified as one of the major public health problems worldwide. To facilitate its control, bacterial resistance levels must be monitored permanently by effective surveillance systems.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the antimicrobial resistance patterns of Gram negative bacilli in Colombian hospitals over a 3-year period.
  
  
  METHODS
  This descriptive study used the bacterial susceptibility profiles provided by 14 tertiary-care hospitals belonging to the Colombian Nosocomial Resistance Study Group. The hospitals were located in 7 major cities in Colombia, and provided records over the period January 2006 to December 2008. Using WHONET 5.4, the antimicrobial resistance patterns were described for the Enterobacteriaceae (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterobacter cloacae) and non-fermenters (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii). Comparisons were made in the bacterial responses to selected antibiotics in samples from general wards and from adult intensive care units.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The antimicrobial resistance frequencies of several Enterobacteriaceae species showed a decreasing trend. In contrast, P. aeruginosa was demonstrated to be a multidrug-resistance organism with increasing resistance frequencies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data emphasize the importance of surveillance programs in detecting presence of multidrug-resistant organisms. This information will aid the implementation of protocols aimed to strengthen the infection control strategies and antibiotic stewardship in each hospital.
authors.affiliation: Centro Internacional de Entrenamiento e Investigaciones Médicas, CIDEIM, Cali, Colombia.
authors.forename: David Felipe
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Briceño
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Correa
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Valencia
authors.forename: Julián Andrés
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.forename: Robinson
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pacheco
authors.forename: María Camila
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Montealegre
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ospina
authors.forename: María Virginia
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Villegas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D003105:Colombia; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents