Antimicrobial Susceptibility Patterns and Antimicrobial Therapy of Infections Caused by Elizabethkingia Species

Background and Objectives: Elizabethkingia species have become significant sources of infections acquired in hospital settings and are commonly linked to high mortality rates. Antimicrobial resistance can be influenced by Elizabethkingia species, geographical location, antimicrobial susceptibility testing methods, and the time of bacterial isolation. There are distinct antimicrobial susceptibility patterns among species, and the investigation into potential antibiotic susceptibility variations among species is beneficial. There is no guidance on the treatment of Elizabethkingia species infections in the literature. Consequently, the purpose of this review was to elaborate on the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of Elizabethkingia species through a scoping review of existing studies on the antibiograms of the Elizabethkingia species and on the illness caused by Elizabethkingia species. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive literature search in PubMed and Web of Science between 1 January 2000 and 30 April 2024 identified all studies, including those that examined antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and antimicrobial therapy of infections caused by Elizabethkingia species. I considered studies on antimicrobial susceptibility testing for Elizabethkingia species in which only broth microdilution methods and agar dilution methods were used. Results: The sensitivity levels of Elizabethkingia meningoseptica to piperacillin-tazobactam (5-100%), ciprofloxacin (0-43.4%), levofloxacin (30-81.8%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (0-100%), tigecycline (15-100%), minocycline (60-100%), and rifampicin (94-100%) varied. The sensitivity levels of Elizabethkingia anophelis to piperacillin-tazobactam (3.3-93.3%), ciprofloxacin (1-75%), levofloxacin (12-100%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (1.02-96.7%), tigecycline (0-52.2%), minocycline (97.5-100%), and rifampicin (20.5-96%) varied. The sensitivity levels of Elizabethkingia miricola to piperacillin-tazobactam (41.6-94.0%), ciprofloxacin (14-75%), levofloxacin (77.0-100%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (18.0-100%), tigecycline (50%), minocycline (100%), and rifampicin (66-85.7%) varied. Conclusions: The majority of the isolates of Elizabethkingia species were susceptible to minocycline and rifampin. This issue requires professional knowledge integration and treatment recommendations.