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Published on: July 11, 2016

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia as a nosocomial pathogen

O Köseoğlu1, B Sener, D Gülmez

  • 1Hacettepe University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology, Ankara, Turkey.

The New Microbiologica
|October 6, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Molecular epidemiology of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia in a Turkish hospital revealed multi-drug resistant clones. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) identified nosocomial transmission, suggesting common sources or patient-to-patient spread.

Area of Science:

  • Medical Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Molecular Epidemiology

Background:

  • Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is an opportunistic pathogen frequently associated with hospital-acquired infections.
  • Understanding its molecular epidemiology is crucial for controlling its spread in healthcare settings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the molecular epidemiology of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia isolates from a university hospital in Turkey.
  • To determine antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and identify potential transmission routes.

Main Methods:

  • Collection of 39 clinical and 1 environmental Stenotrophomonas maltophilia isolates between 1998 and 2001.
  • Antimicrobial susceptibility testing against 11 agents.
  • Genotypic analysis using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to determine strain relatedness.

Main Results:

  • Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole demonstrated the highest activity against the isolates.
  • PFGE identified 21 distinct patterns, with three major clusters comprising 11, seven, and four strains.
  • All Stenotrophomonas maltophilia PFGE clones exhibited a multi-resistant phenotype.
  • 18 isolates (45%) showed unique PFGE patterns, with no lower resistance observed in these strains.

Conclusions:

  • The presence of dominant Stenotrophomonas maltophilia clones with distinct PFGE profiles suggests nosocomial transmission.
  • Findings indicate potential spread from a common source and/or between patients within the hospital.
  • Effective infection control measures are necessary to manage multi-drug resistant Stenotrophomonas maltophilia.

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