Bacterial isolates from hematology, oncology, and intensive care units: Susceptibility to cefpirome and other beta-lactam antibiotics in a multicenter study in Mexico

Abstract

Abstract An in vitro multicenter study was conducted in 15 Mexican hospitals from September 1995 to May 1996 to provide data on the prevalence of bacterial isolates from patients in hematology, oncology, and intensive care units, as well as data on the sensitivity of these organisms to cefpirome and other antimicrobial drugs commonly used in these units. Each participating center collected an average of 100 aerobic bacterial isolates from significant clinical specimens. Minimum inhibitory concentrations to cefpirome and 7 other betalactam antibiotics commonly used empirically to treat nosocomial infections in critically ill patients were determined by the microdilution method. The most frequent sources of the isolates were blood (37.1%), bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (16.8%), skin or wounds (15.8%), and urine (14.0%). The isolated bacteria were distributed as follows: gram-negative enteric bacilli (40.8%), gram-negative nonenteric bacilli (38.8%), and gram-positive cocci (20.4%). Multiresistant gram-negative enteric and nonenteric bacilli were the most important pathogens isolated in hospitalized, critically ill patients; however, gram-positive cocci (both staphylococcus and enterococcus) accounted for 20.4% of the isolates. Although the activity of cefpirome was similar or superior to that of the other antibiotics tested in this study, our results clearly stress the need for antimicrobial agents that are effective against infections caused by gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria in critically ill patients.