Antibiotic resistance patterns in nosocomial infections: preliminary data from Hospital of Al-Hoceima, Morocco

Nosocomial infections or healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) represent a public health problem. The burden of antibiotic resistance in these infections is still unclear in Morocco. The objective of this study was to describe antibiotic susceptibility of the main bacteria responsible for nosocomial infections in order to propose prevention measures.

Data were collected from 1519 laboratory records including hospital inpatients suspected of nosocomial infections in Mohamed V Hospital of Al-Hoceima between January 2016 and December 2020. The data were analyzed using SPSS software version 25.

Bacteriological test samples included 65.5% of urine, 27.2% of pleural fluid, 4.5% of pus, and 2.8% of protected distal swab. Two hundred and twenty-seven (15%) samples were culture-positive. The bacteria isolated were mainly enterobacteria (Escherichia coli, 43.6% and Klebsiella pneumoniae, 13%), non-fermentative Gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 10.8%), and Staphylococcus aureus (24.3%). Extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs)-producing Enterobacteriaceae represented 25.4% and those resistant to other families of antibiotics accounted for 12.5%. In our study, we reported 17% ESBL producers among urinary infections. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus accounted for 22.2%. Pseudomonas aeruginosa that were resistant to ticarcillin, ceftazidime, and imipenem represented 29% of the cases.

Our results showed a higher frequency of resistance. A microbiological surveillance system is highly needed to identify bacterial niches in the hospital environment at Mohamed V Hospital.