Colonization of Libyan civil war casualties with multidrug-resistant bacteria

In November 2011 51 Libyan war casualties were admitted to the Major Incident Hospital in Utrecht and from there were transferred to 26 other Dutch hospitals. Cultures and clinical data were collected to establish the prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria in this patient group and to identify the associated risk factors. The prevalence of MDR bacteria was 59% (30/51 patients); extended spectrum β-lactamase-producing enterobacteriaceae were most common (26/51 patients: 51%). The major risk factor for carriage of MDR bacteria was the presence of open wounds at admission to the Major Incident Hospital.