Bacteria isolated from bloodstream infections at a tertiary care hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania - antimicrobial resistance of isolates

Abstract

currently conducting another prospective study to monitor the trends of MRSA and to determine the presence of MDR. These results, together with the previous ones, will guide antimicrobial prescribing practice by our clinicians. MDR bacteria may be susceptible to the first-line antibiotics, but this was not apparent in our study. In vitro susceptibility results may not necessarily reflect what would happen in vivo. Our view is that when managing patients with severe infections due to MDR organisms, the first-line antibiotics should not be used in order to reduce morbidity and mortality that could be associated with life-threatening infections. In tertiary hospitals like ours or the authors’, first-line antibiotics might not be the only option available for management of such cases, as suggested. Tonsillectomy practice in South Africa To the Editor: Tonsillectomy is a very common operation done by ENT surgeons and general practitioners in South Africa. Our impression is that the procedure and its peri-operative care vary greatly. We conducted a web-based survey (approved by the UCT ethics committee) to evaluate tonsillectomy practice among South African ENT surgeons and discuss the findings in relation to evidence-based practice from the literature. We report only on the controversial and interesting aspects. Ninety-three surgeons (27% of the ENT surgeons in active practice in South Africa) completed the survey, of whom 65 were in private practice. Method of tonsillectomy. Sixty per cent of both public and state surgeons remove tonsils by conventional cold steel dissection, which has a lower bleeding rate than more recent techniques such as coblation and bipolar dissection. 1