title: Antimicrobial resistance of bacterial isolates from respiratory secretions of ventilated patients in a multi-specialty hospital.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a common nosocomial infection occurring in intensive care unit (ICU) settings. VAP occurs due to interplay of three factors - impaired host defense, access of large numbers of pathogenic bacteria to the lower respiratory tract and the virulence of the organism. Knowledge of colonizing microbial flora and their antibiogram in ventilated patients is of great importance in timely institution of empirical therapy, so that mortality and morbidity due to VAP can be reduced.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective study was performed over a period of 6 months in a multi-specialty hospital to determine the various pathogens in respiratory secretions and to determine the prevalence of multidrug resistance (MDR).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pseudomonas aeruginosa (26%), Acinetobacter (26%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (26%), followed by Escherichia coli (15%), Staphylococcus aureus (6%) and Citrobacter spp. (1.5%) were the common pathogens isolated in our study. In all, 72.73% (48/66) bacterial isolates were isolated from medical ICU, while 25.76% (17/66) were isolated from surgical ICU. Only one strain (Acinetobacter) was isolated from pediatric ICU. Fifty-seven (86.36%) of the 66 pathogens in our study were MDR.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is increasing colonization of pathogenic bacteria in ventilated patients admitted in ICUs, which are predominantly MDR. These colonizers may cause infection resulting in VAP. Judicious use of antibiotics, guided by local antibiotic resistance profile coupled with strict infection control practices alongside application of VAP bundle are important measures to prevent these pathogens from causing VAP in ICU patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Delhi State Cancer Institute, Dilshad Garden, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Nishat Hussain
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.affiliation: Proteomics and Structural Biology Unit, Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Tabish
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hussain
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Indu
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Biswal
keywords: Multidrug resistance; pathogens; ventilator-associated pneumonia