[Monitoring the incidence of multidrug-resistant bacteria in microbiology laboratories using Bacterio software]

Since 1997, the microbiology laboratory of the hospital center in Lens has monitored hospital ecology and epidemiology to provide rapid information that help to adapt probabilistic antibiotherapy and to estimate the impact of hygienic preventive measures on the incidence of multidrug-resistant bacteria (MRB).

Monitoring with statistical software (Epi-Info) could be pursued and improved on with Bacterio, a specific software for microbiology laboratories. We studied the incidence of MRB not only in clinical specimens but also in ecologic specimens to detect BMR colonization.

In the year 2000, the incidence reached 4.11 for 1000 hospitalization days and 3.34 for 100 admissions. This clearly differed from clinical activity. From 1998 to 2000 the incidence of BMR remained stable. BMR was detected within 48 hours after admission in 22.9% of cases. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and ticarcillin-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the most common BMR in our hospital. Extended broad spectrum beta-lactamase enterobacterii and Acinetobacter baumannii represented respectively 23% and 13% of the MRB. Stenotrophomonas maltophilia represented a minority and no vancomycin-resistant enterococci were found.

Bacterio is a software well adapted to the use of microbiological data banks. Continuous monitoring of the incidence of BMR is very useful in the clinical care and hospital hygiene units.