title: Frequency of microorganisms isolated in patients with bacteremia in intensive care units in Colombia and their resistance profiles.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to describe the most frequently found bacterial microorganisms in bloodstream isolates taken from patients in intensive care units in Colombia and their resistance profiles.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a multicentre descriptive observational study that was carried out between January 2001 and June 2008 with laboratory data from 33 participating hospitals in a surveillance network.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most frequently found microorganisms were coagulase-negative Staphylococci 39.6%, Staphylococcus aureus 12.3%, Klebsiella pneumoniae 8.2%, Escherichia coli 5.7%, Acinetobacter baumannii, 4.0% and Pseudomonas aeruginosa 3.8%. Coagulase-negative Staphylococci registered greater than 70% oxacillin resistance rate. S. aureus presented a change in its multiresistance profile during the years of follow-up. There was a trend towards a lower resistance rate among E. coli and K. pneumoniae isolates during the study period while A. baumannii carbapenem resistance rate exceeded 50%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There has been a change in the frequency of species being isolated with a higher frequency of enterobacteriaceae compared to Gram-positive microorganisms, in general with a high resistance rate.
authors.affiliation: Medicine Department, School of Medicine, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia. jacortesl@unal.edu.co
authors.forename: Jorge Alberto
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Cortes
authors.forename: Aura Lucía
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Leal
authors.forename: Anita María
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Montañez
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Buitrago
authors.forename: Juan Sebastián
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Castillo
authors.forename: Lucy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guzman
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D003105:Colombia / Q000453:epidemiology; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D011159:Population Surveillance
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents