title: Clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of patients withStenotrophomonas maltophiliainfections.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Stenotrophomonas maltophiliaearlier had limited pathogenic potential, but now with growing degree of immunosuppression in general population, it is being recognized as an important nosocomial pathogen.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective 7 years study was carried out to determine the clinical characteristics of all patients withStenotrophomonasinfections, antibiotic resistance pattern, and risk factors associated with hospital mortality. All patients withStenotrophomonasculture positivity were identified and their medical records were reviewed. Risk factor associated with hospital mortality was analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 123 samples obtained from 88 patients were culture positive. Most patients presented with bacteremia (45, 51%) followed by pneumonia (37, 42%) and skin and soft tissue infections (6, 7%). About 23 of 88Stenotrophomonasinfected patients had co-infection. Percentage resistance to cotrimoxazole; 8 (5.4%) was lower than that for levofloxacin; 18 (12%). Twenty-eight patients died during hospital stay. Intensive Care Unit admission (P= 0.0002), mechanical ventilation (P= 0.0004), central venous catheterization (P= 0.0227), urethral catheterization (P= 0.0484), and previous antibiotic intake (P= 0.0026) were independent risk factors associated with mortality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest thatStenotrophomonascan cause various infections irrespective of patient's immune status and irrespective of potential source. Thus,Stenotrophomonasshould be thought of as potential pathogen and its isolation should be looked with clinical suspicion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Priyam
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Batra
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Purva
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mathur
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Mahesh C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Misra
keywords: Epidemiology; Stenotrophomonas; risk factors