title: Nonfermenting Gram-negative Bacilli other than Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter Spp. Causing Respiratory Tract Infections in a Tertiary Care Center.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nonfermenting gram-negative bacilli have emerged as important healthcare-associated pathogens. It is important to correctly identify all clinically significant nonfermenting gram-negative bacilli considering the intrinsic multidrug resistance exhibited by these bacteria.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study was undertaken to identify the various nonfermenting gram-negative bacilli other than Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter spp. isolated from respiratory samples (n = 9363), to understand their clinical relevance and to analyze their antibiotic susceptibility pattern.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nonfermenting gram-negative bacilli were isolated from 830 (16.4%) samples showing significant growth. Thirty-three (4%) isolates constituted nonfermenting gram-negative bacilli other than P. aeruginosa and Acinetobacter spp. Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (15, 45.5%) was the most common isolate followed by Burkholderia cepacia (4, 12.1%), Sphingomonas paucimobilis (3, 9.1%), and Achromobacter xylosoxidans (3, 9.1%). On the basis of clinicomicrobiological correlation, pathogenicity was observed in 69.7% (n = 23) isolates. Timely and correct treatment resulted in clinical improvement in 87.9% cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Any nonfermenting gram-negative bacilli isolated from respiratory tract infection should not be ignored as mere contaminant, but correlated clinically for its pathogenic potential and identified using standard methods so as to institute appropriate and timely antibiotic coverage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Manipal University, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Kiran
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chawla
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Manipal University, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Shashidhar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vishwanath
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Manipal University, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Frenil C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Munim
keywords: Intrinsic resistance; Nonfermenting gram-negative bacilli; S. maltophilia