title: The prevalence and resistance patterns of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a tertiary care hospital in Kosovo.
abstract: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative bacterium that continues to a leading cause of opportunistic nosocomial infections. The rapid increase in drug resistance in clinical isolates of this pathogen is a worldwide concern. The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution rate, prevalence and resistance patterns of P. aeruginosa in clinical specimens from the University Clinical Centre of Kosovo (UCCK). During a three-year period, 553 P. aeruginosa isolates were collected from patients admitted to a variety of UCCK units. The P. aeruginosa isolates were identified using standard laboratory procedures, and the susceptibility of the isolates to antimicrobial agents was investigated using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion assay according to European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) (2013-2015) guidelines. P. aeruginosa was the second most frequently isolated pathogen. The isolation rate of P. aeruginosa was 7.6%, 10.1% and 8.6% in 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively. Most clinical samples were from ICU (380, 68.7%). There was a statistically significant difference between ICU and non-ICU (p<0.05). P. aeruginosa isolates were most frequently isolated from the respiratory tract (323, 58.4%). The rate of resistance against most of the tested antimicrobials has increased, especially for carbapenems. Imipenem resistance was 25.2%, 26.5%, and 37.7% and meropenem resistance was 20.1%, 23.4%, and 36% in 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively. This study provides important data on current antimicrobial resistance, and the results demonstrate that the resistance rates are progressively increasing. There is an urgent need to emphasise the prudent use of antibiotics and strictly adhere to the concept of "reserve drugs" to minimise the misuse of available antimicrobials. The acquisition and analysis of prevalence and resistance data will be an important tool to identify targets for quality improvement in Kosovo and will support the preparation of guidelines and protocols for the prudent use of antibiotics.
authors.affiliation: University of Prishtina, Faculty of Medicine, Prishtina, Kosovo; National Institute of Public Health of Kosovo, Prishtina, Kosovo.
authors.forename: Greta
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lila
authors.affiliation: University of Prishtina, Faculty of Medicine, Prishtina, Kosovo; National Institute of Public Health of Kosovo, Prishtina, Kosovo.
authors.forename: Gjyle
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mulliqi-Osmani
authors.affiliation: University of Prishtina, Faculty of Medicine, Prishtina, Kosovo; National Institute of Public Health of Kosovo, Prishtina, Kosovo.
authors.forename: Rrezarta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bajrami
authors.affiliation: University of Prishtina, Faculty of Medicine, Prishtina, Kosovo; National Institute of Public Health of Kosovo, Prishtina, Kosovo.
authors.forename: Arsim
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kurti
authors.affiliation: Trepharm, Prishtina, Kosovo.
authors.forename: Elvir
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Azizi
authors.affiliation: University of Prishtina, Faculty of Medicine, Prishtina, Kosovo; National Institute of Public Health of Kosovo, Prishtina, Kosovo.
authors.forename: Lul
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Raka
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015780:Carbapenems / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015378:Imipenem / Q000494:pharmacology; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D063826:Kosovo / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D000077731:Meropenem; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests / Q000379:methods; D015995:Prevalence; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D013845:Thienamycins / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D015780:Carbapenems; D013845:Thienamycins; D015378:Imipenem; D000077731:Meropenem