Abstract
Burkholderia cepacia has the potential to cause fatal infections in ICUs, and multidrug resistance makes them a serious threat in hospital settings. The aim of this study was to evaluate the epidemiology of B. cepacia infections in our hospital. The incidence, clinical characteristics, antimicrobial susceptibility, and outcomes of nosocomial B. cepacia infections during a five-year period were retrospectively analysed according to the infection control committee records. A total of 39 cases with nosocomial B. cepacia infection were included in the study. B. cepacia was identified from 0.7% of the nosocomial isolates. Its incidence was 0.26 per 1,000 admissions with 53.8% crude mortality rate. The most frequent nosocomial B. cepacia infection was pneumonia (58.9%), followed by bloodstream infections (25.6%), surgical site infections (7.6%), urinary tract infections, (5.1%), and skin-soft tissue infections (2.5%). Nosocomial B. cepacia infections were most commonly observed in intensive care units (61.5%). The most active antimicrobial agents were piperacillin-tazobactam, cefoperazone-sulbactam, and carbapenems. The incidence of nosocomial B. cepacia infections was rare in our hospital, and no outbreak was detected during the study period. However, infections caused by B. cepacia should be taken into consideration because of their high mortality due to multidrug resistance in ICU settings.
Highlights
Burkholderia cepacia, formerly Pseudomonas cepacia, is an aerobic, motile, glucosenonfermenting, multidrug resistant Gram-negative bacillus that proliferates under conditions of minimal nutrition and can survive in the presence of certain disinfectants
B. cepacia was isolated in 0.2-0.6% of all ventilator-associated pneumonias reported to the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System (NNIS) in the United States between 1998 and 2004 [2,5]
The incidence of B. cepacia infections, its percentage among nosocomial pathogens, wards, and sites of nosocomial infections (NI) by years are shown in table 1
Summary
Burkholderia cepacia, formerly Pseudomonas cepacia, is an aerobic, motile, glucosenonfermenting, multidrug resistant Gram-negative bacillus that proliferates under conditions of minimal nutrition and can survive in the presence of certain disinfectants It is widely distributed in the natural environment and has been isolated from water, soil, fruits, and vegetables. B. cepacia has been associated with outbreaks involving infections of the bloodstream, respiratory tract, and urinary tract inintensive care unit (ICU) settings [4]. Burkholderia cepacia has the potential to cause fatal infections in ICUs, and multidrug resistance makes them a serious threat in hospital settings. Conclusions: The incidence of nosocomial B. cepacia infections was rare in our hospital, and no outbreak was detected during the study period. Infections caused by B. cepacia should be taken into consideration because of their high mortality due to multidrug resistance in ICU settings
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