Related Experiment Videos
S Frigui1, A A Messadi2,3, L Thabet1,3
1Laboratoire de Biologie Médicale et Banque du Sang, Centre de Traumatologie et des Grands Brûlés de Ben Arous, Tunisie.
Insights
Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) is a common cause of burn infections. High rates of multidrug-resistant PA, particularly carbapenem-resistant strains, were observed, complicating patient management.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Clinical Microbiology
- Burn Care
Context:
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) is a leading cause of infections in burn patients.
- Multidrug-resistant strains pose significant challenges in managing burn wound infections.
- Understanding local epidemiology and antibiotic resistance patterns is crucial for effective treatment.
Purpose:
- To determine the incidence density of PA colonization and infection in a burn unit.
- To investigate the antibiotic susceptibility profiles of isolated PA strains.
- To analyze the correlation between PA colonization and infection.
Summary:
- A retrospective study analyzed 1649 PA strains over 8 years (2012-2019) in a Tunisian burn unit.
- PA was the most prevalent organism (15%), with colonization and infection incidence densities of 16.1‰ and 16.5‰ patient-days, respectively.
- High resistance rates were noted for piperacillin-tazobactam (72.4%), meropenem (74%), and amikacin (74.6%), with a 78% multidrug resistance rate and 14.4% metallo-carbapenemase-producing strains.
Impact:
- Findings highlight the significant burden of multidrug-resistant PA in burn patients.
- Results underscore the need for robust infection control and antibiotic stewardship programs.
- Data provides critical insights for empirical treatment strategies and antimicrobial surveillance in burn units.
Abstract:
Pseudomonas æruginosa (PA) is among the major agents of infection in burns. Multidrug-resistant strains are commonly isolated, which hampers the management of these patients. Our purpose was to study the incidence density of PA colonization and PA infection and to investigate the antibiotic susceptibility of strains isolated in patients hospitalized in the Trauma and Burn Center's Burn Unit (TBC-BU) in Tunisia. It is a retrospective study including 1649 non-repetitive strains of PA during an 8-year period (2012- 2019). PA was the most common organism in TBC-BU bacterial ecology (15%). The incidence density of PA colonization and PA infection was 16.1‰ days of in-patient stay (DH) and 16.5‰ DH, respectively. A positive and statistically significant correlation was found between PA colonization and PA infection (rs=1; p=0,004). The colonization strains were mainly isolated from skin (25.1%) and central catheters (22.3%). Bacteremia was the most common infection (19.5%). The skin was the most common source of bacteremia (22.1%) followed by central catheters (18.3%). The highest rates of antibiotic resistance were found with piperacillin-tazobactam (72.4%), ceftazidime (49.4%), meropenem (74%), imipenem (70.5%), amikacin (74.6%), ciprofloxacin (56.5%) and fosfomycin (35.3%). We did not identify any colistin-resistant strain. The multidrug resistance rate was 78%. The metallo-carbapenemase-producing strains rate was 14.4%.