Antibiogram data from private hospitals in Hong Kong: 6-year retrospective study

Area of Science:

• Medical Microbiology
• Infectious Diseases
• Public Health

Background:

• Antibiotic resistance surveillance is crucial for effective control strategies.
• Systematic data on antibiotic resistance in Hong Kong's private hospitals is lacking.
• Understanding resistance trends informs public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze antibiogram data from Hong Kong private hospitals.
• To describe temporal trends in antibiotic non-susceptibility percentages.
• To provide insights into the antibiotic resistance landscape in this healthcare setting.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective descriptive study analyzing annual antibiogram data from 2014-2019.
• Inclusion of data for six targeted bacteria and their multidrug-resistant organisms.
• Data sourced from all private hospitals in Hong Kong.

Main Results:

• Non-susceptibility percentages remained stable or decreased for most bacteria studied.
• Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus showed stable prevalence (~20%).
• Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae showed increasing trends, though currently at low levels (<1-2%).

Conclusions:

• The overall antibiotic resistance situation in Hong Kong private hospitals is satisfactory.
• Continued surveillance, antibiotic stewardship, and infection control measures are necessary.
• Monitoring emerging resistance, such as carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, is vital.