CANWARD Surveillance Study Research Articles

In vitro activity of fosfomycin against bacterial pathogens isolated from urine specimens in Canada from 2007 to 2020: CANWARD surveillance study.

Multiple susceptible breakpoints are published to interpret fosfomycin MICs: ≤64 mg/L for Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis grown from urine (CLSI M100); ≤32 mg/L for Enterobacterales and staphylococci when parenteral fosfomycin is prescribed (EUCAST); and ≤8 mg/L for uncomplicated urinary tract infection with E. coli when oral fosfomycin is used (EUCAST). Clinical laboratories are frequently requested to test fosfomycin against antimicrobial-resistant urinary isolates not included in standard documents. The in vitro activity of fosfomycin was determined using the CLSI agar dilution method for a 2007-20 collection of clinically significant Gram-negative (3656 Enterobacterales; 140 Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and Gram-positive (346 E. faecalis; 94 Staphylococcus aureus) urinary isolates from the CANWARD surveillance study. Comparator agents were tested using CLSI broth microdilution. Using the CLSI MIC breakpoint (≤64 mg/L), 99.2% of E. coli (n = 2871; MIC90, 4 mg/L), including 96.7% of ESBL-positive isolates, were fosfomycin susceptible. Similarly, 95.8% of E. coli, including 95.2% of ESBL-positive isolates, were fosfomycin susceptible at ≤8 mg/L (EUCAST oral susceptible MIC breakpoint). All other species of Enterobacterales (except Citrobacter freundii) and P. aeruginosa had higher fosfomycin MICs (MIC90s, 64 to >512 mg/L) than E. coli. Using published breakpoints, 88.4% of E. faecalis (MIC ≤64 mg/L) and 97.9% of S. aureus (MIC ≤32 mg/L) isolates were fosfomycin susceptible. Fosfomycin demonstrated in vitro activity against frequently encountered Gram-positive and Gram-negative urinary pathogens; however, the extrapolation of current CLSI and EUCAST MIC breakpoints to pathogens not specified by standard methods requires further study and is currently not recommended.

42936 pathogens from Canadian hospitals: 10 years of results (2007-16) from the CANWARD surveillance study.

The CANWARD surveillance study was established in 2007 to annually assess the in vitro susceptibilities of a variety of antimicrobial agents against bacterial pathogens isolated from patients receiving care in Canadian hospitals. 42 936 pathogens were received and CLSI broth microdilution testing was performed on 37 355 bacterial isolates. Limited patient demographic data submitted with each isolate were collated and analysed. Of the isolates tested, 43.5%, 33.1%, 13.2% and 10.2% were from blood, respiratory, urine and wound specimens, respectively; 29.9%, 24.8%, 19.0%, 18.1% and 8.2% of isolates were from patients in medical wards, emergency rooms, ICUs, hospital clinics and surgical wards. Patient demographics associated with the isolates were: 54.6% male/45.4% female; 13.1% patients aged ≤17 years, 44.3% 18-64 years and 42.7% ≥65 years. The three most common pathogens were Staphylococcus aureus (21.2%, both methicillin-susceptible and MRSA), Escherichia coli (19.6%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (9.0%). E. coli were most susceptible to meropenem and tigecycline (99.9%), ertapenem and colistin (99.8%), amikacin (99.7%) and ceftolozane/tazobactam and plazomicin (99.6%). Twenty-three percent of S. aureus were MRSA. MRSA were most susceptible to ceftobiprole, linezolid and telavancin (100%), daptomycin (99.9%), vancomycin (99.8%) and tigecycline (99.2%). P. aeruginosa were most susceptible to ceftolozane/tazobactam (98.3%) and colistin (95.0%). The CANWARD surveillance study has provided 10 years of reference antimicrobial susceptibility testing data on pathogens commonly causing infections in patients attending Canadian hospitals.

In vitro susceptibility of urinary Escherichia coli isolates to first- and second-line empirically prescribed oral antimicrobials: CANWARD surveillance study results for Canadian outpatients, 2007–2016

Escherichia coli isolates (n = 2035) from urine specimens of outpatients presenting to Canadian medical clinics and hospital emergency departments from 2007-2016 were collected as part of the CANWARD surveillance study. Isolate identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) were performed at a central site (Health Sciences Centre, Winnipeg, Canada). AST of first- and second-line oral antimicrobial agents was performed using CLSI methods (M07, 11th ed, 2018); fosfomycin was tested by agar dilution and all other agents by broth microdilution. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were interpreted using CLSI M100 (2018) criteria. Fosfomycin (99.2% of isolates susceptible), nitrofurantoin (97.5%) and cefalexin (93.6%) were the most active agents tested; amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (AMC) (85.6%), ciprofloxacin (83.0%) and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (SXT) (77.0%) were less active. Annual percentages of isolates positive for extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) or demonstrating multidrug-resistant (MDR) phenotypes increased from 0.8% (2007) to 10.1% (2016), and from 9.7% (2007) to 16.5% (2016), respectively, whilst the annual frequency of AmpC-positive isolates decreased from a high of 3.2% in 2008 to 0.7% in 2016. The most common MDR phenotype of E. coli was non-susceptibility to AMC, ciprofloxacin, and SXT, accounting for 12.7% (26/205) of all MDR isolates. Rates of susceptibility were higher for fosfomycin than for the five other oral agents tested against ESBL-positive (96.1% susceptible) and MDR (95.1%) isolates and were equal to nitrofurantoin (96.4%) against AmpC-positive isolates. Prudent use of antimicrobials and close monitoring of antimicrobial susceptibilities of clinical uropathogenic E. coli isolates are imperative to help preserve the utility of oral antimicrobials.

In Vitro Activity of Plazomicin against Gram-Negative and Gram-Positive Bacterial Pathogens Isolated from Patients in Canadian Hospitals from 2013 to 2017 as Part of the CANWARD Surveillance Study.

The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) broth microdilution method was used to evaluate the in vitro activities of plazomicin and comparator antimicrobial agents against 7,712 Gram-negative and 4,481 Gram-positive bacterial pathogens obtained from 2013 to 2017 from patients in Canadian hospitals as part of the CANWARD Surveillance Study. Plazomicin demonstrated potent in vitro activity against Enterobacteriaceae (MIC90 ≤ 1 µg/ml for all species tested except Proteus mirabilis and Morganella morganii), including aminoglycoside-nonsusceptible, extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-positive, and multidrug-resistant (MDR) isolates. Plazomicin was equally active against methicillin-susceptible and methicillin-resistant isolates of Staphylococcus aureus.

Antimicrobial-resistant pathogens in Canadian ICUs: results of the CANWARD 2007 to 2016 study.

To describe the microbiology and antimicrobial resistance patterns of cultured samples acquired from Canadian ICUs. From 2007 to 2016, tertiary care centres from across Canada submitted 42938 bacterial/fungal isolates as part of the CANWARD surveillance study. Of these, 8130 (18.9%) were from patients on ICUs. Susceptibility testing guidelines and MIC interpretive criteria were defined by CLSI. Of the 8130 pathogens collected in this study, 58.2%, 36.3%, 3.1% and 2.4% were from respiratory, blood, wound and urine specimens, respectively. The top five organisms collected from Canadian ICUs accounted for 55.4% of all isolates and included Staphylococcus aureus (21.5%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (10.6%), Escherichia coli (10.4%), Streptococcus pneumoniae (6.5%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (6.4%). MRSA accounted for 20.7% of S. aureus collected, with community-associated (CA) MRSA genotypes increasing in prevalence over time (P < 0.001). The highest susceptibility rates among MRSA were 100% for vancomycin, 100% for ceftobiprole, 100% for linezolid, 99.7% for ceftaroline, 99.7% for daptomycin and 99.7% for tigecycline. The highest susceptibility rates among E. coli were 100% for tigecycline, 99.9% for meropenem, 99.7% for colistin and 94.2% for piperacillin/tazobactam. MDR was identified in 26.3% of E. coli isolates, with 10.1% producing an ESBL. The highest susceptibility rates among P. aeruginosa were 97.5% for ceftolozane/tazobactam, 96.1% for amikacin, 94.7% for colistin and 93.3% for tobramycin. The most active agents against Gram-negative bacilli were the carbapenems, tigecycline and piperacillin/tazobactam. Against Gram-positive cocci, the most active agents were vancomycin, daptomycin and linezolid. The prevalence of CA-MRSA genotypes and ESBL-producing E. coli collected from ICUs increased significantly over time.

In vitro activity of eravacycline against 2213 Gram-negative and 2424 Gram-positive bacterial pathogens isolated in Canadian hospital laboratories: CANWARD surveillance study 2014–2015

Gram-negative (n=2213) and Gram-positive (n=2424) pathogens isolated from patients in 13 Canadian hospitals in 2014 and 2015 were tested for in vitro susceptibility to eravacycline and comparators using the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute broth microdilution method. The concentration of eravacycline inhibiting 90% of isolates (MIC90) ranged from 0.5 to 2μg/mL for 9 species of Enterobacteriaceae tested (n=2067). Eravacycline activity was largely unaffected by extended-spectrum β-lactamase phenotypes in Escherichia coli (n=141) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (n=21). Eravacycline was active against Acinetobacter baumannii (n=28; MIC90, 0.5μg/mL) and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (n=118; MIC90, 4μg/mL). Eravacycline MIC90 for staphylococci (n=1653), enterococci (n=289), and streptococci (n=482) ranged from 0.12 to 0.25, 0.06 to 0.12, and 0.015 to 0.06μg/mL, respectively. Eravacycline's potency was equivalent to or 2- to 4-fold greater than tigecycline against Enterobacteriaceae and Gram-positive cocci tested. Eravacycline demonstrates promising activity against recent clinical Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, including multidrug-resistant pathogens.

Characterization of MDR and XDR Streptococcus pneumoniae in Canada, 2007-13.

The goal of this study was to characterize Streptococcus pneumoniae demonstrating MDR (resistant to three or more antimicrobial classes) or XDR (resistant to five or more classes) phenotypes, collected from Canada during the CANWARD 2007-13 study. From 2007 to 2013 inclusive, S. pneumoniae isolates were collected as a part of the CANWARD surveillance study. MDR and XDR isolates were subjected to PFGE, MLST, molecular detection of pneumococcal pili and macrolide resistance determinants mef(A/E) and erm(B), sequencing of PBPs 1A, 2B and 2X and comparison with Pneumococcal Molecular Epidemiology Network (PMEN) clones. Of 2129 S. pneumoniae isolates collected during the CANWARD 2007-13 study, 61 (2.9%) were found to be MDR. Of these MDR isolates, 43 (70.5%) were XDR. The most common serotypes for both MDR and XDR S. pneumoniae were 19A and 19F. Twenty-nine of 61 isolates (48%) demonstrated resistance to clarithromycin, clindamycin, doxycycline, penicillin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. All isolates possessed at least one macrolide resistance determinant and mutations in PBPs 1A, 2B and 2X. The most common clone was piliated, XDR ST320, an internationally circulating double-locus variant of Taiwan(19F)-14 (ST236). Though the rate of MDR S. pneumoniae has remained relatively stable since 2007, XDR strains have emerged in Canada. These strains are virulent, possess resistance determinants and are related to international clones.

In Vitro Activity of Fosfomycin against Escherichia coli Isolated from Patients with Urinary Tract Infections in Canada as Part of the CANWARD Surveillance Study

We tested 868 urinary isolates of Escherichia coli collected from 2010 to 2013 as part of the Canadian national surveillance study CANWARD against fosfomycin by using the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) agar dilution method with MIC interpretation in accordance with the CLSI M100-S23 (2013) criteria. The concentrations of fosfomycin inhibiting 50 and 90% of the isolates were ≤1 and 4 μg/ml; 99.4% of the isolates were susceptible to fosfomycin.

In Vitro Activity of Ceftaroline-Avibactam against Gram-Negative and Gram-Positive Pathogens Isolated from Patients in Canadian Hospitals from 2010 to 2012: Results from the CANWARD Surveillance Study

The in vitro activities of ceftaroline-avibactam, ceftaroline, and comparative agents were determined for a collection of bacterial pathogens frequently isolated from patients seeking care at 15 Canadian hospitals from January 2010 to December 2012. In total, 9,758 isolates were tested by using the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) broth microdilution method (document M07-A9, 2012), with MICs interpreted by using CLSI breakpoints (document M100-S23, 2013). Ceftaroline-avibactam demonstrated potent activity (MIC90, ≤ 0.5 μg/ml) against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Klebsiella oxytoca, Proteus mirabilis, Enterobacter cloacae, Enterobacter aerogenes, Serratia marcescens, Morganella morganii, Citrobacter freundii, and Haemophilus influenzae; >99% of isolates of E. coli, K. pneumoniae, K. oxytoca, P. mirabilis, M. morganii, C. freundii, and H. influenzae were susceptible to ceftaroline-avibactam according to CLSI MIC interpretative criteria for ceftaroline. Ceftaroline was less active than ceftaroline-avibactam against all species of Enterobacteriaceae tested, with rates of susceptibility ranging from 93.9% (P. mirabilis) to 54.0% (S. marcescens). All isolates of methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MIC90, 0.25 μg/ml) and 99.6% of methicillin-resistant S. aureus isolates (MIC90, 1 μg/ml) were susceptible to ceftaroline; the addition of avibactam to ceftaroline did not alter its activity against staphylococci or streptococci. All isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae (MIC90, 0.03 μg/ml), Streptococcus pyogenes (MIC90, ≤ 0.03 μg/ml), and Streptococcus agalactiae (MIC90, 0.015 μg/ml) tested were susceptible to ceftaroline. We conclude that combining avibactam with ceftaroline expanded its spectrum of activity to include most isolates of Enterobacteriaceae resistant to third-generation cephalosporins, including extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)- and AmpC-producing E. coli and ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae, while maintaining potent activity against staphylococci and streptococci.

Antimicrobial susceptibility of 22746 pathogens from Canadian hospitals: results of the CANWARD 2007-11 study

The purpose of the CANWARD study was to assess the antimicrobial activity of a variety of available agents against 22,746 pathogens isolated from patients in Canadian hospitals between 2007 and 2011. Between 2007 and 2011, 27,123 pathogens were collected from tertiary-care centres from across Canada; 22,746 underwent antimicrobial susceptibility testing using CLSI broth microdilution methods. Patient demographic data were also collected. Of the isolates collected, 45.2%, 29.6%, 14.8% and 10.4% were from blood, respiratory, urine and wound specimens, respectively. Patient demographics were as follows: 54.4%/45.6% male/female, 12.8% ≤ 17 years old, 45.1% 18-64 years old and 42.1% ≥65 years old. Isolates were obtained from patients in medical and surgical wards (37.8%), emergency rooms (25.7%), clinics (18.0%) and intensive care units (18.5%). The three most common pathogens were Escherichia coli (20.1%), Staphylococcus aureus [methicillin-susceptible S. aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA)] (20.0%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (8.0%), which together accounted for nearly half of the isolates obtained. Susceptibility rates (SRs) for E. coli were 100% meropenem, 99.9% tigecycline, 99.7% ertapenem, 97.7% piperacillin/tazobactam, 93.7% ceftriaxone, 90.5% gentamicin, 77.9% ciprofloxacin and 73.4% trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. Twenty-three percent of the S. aureus were MRSA. SRs for MRSA were 100% daptomycin, 100% linezolid, 100% telavancin, 99.9% vancomycin, 99.8% tigecycline, 92.2% trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and 48.2% clindamycin. SRs for P. aeruginosa were 90.1% amikacin, 93.1% colistin, 84.0% piperacillin/tazobactam, 83.5% ceftazidime, 82.6% meropenem, 72.0% gentamicin and 71.9% ciprofloxacin. The CANWARD surveillance study has provided important data on the antimicrobial susceptibility of pathogens commonly causing infections in Canadian hospitals.

Comparison of pathogens and their antimicrobial resistance patterns in paediatric, adult and elderly patients in Canadian hospitals

The purpose of this study was to describe the association between age groups and antimicrobial resistance in the most commonly identified pathogens in Canadian hospitals. Between 2007 and 2011, 27,123 clinically significant isolates, comprising 3580 isolates from children ≤ 18 years old, 12,119 isolates from adults 19-64 years old and 11,424 isolates from elderly patients aged ≥ 65 years old, were collected as part of the CANWARD surveillance study from tertiary-care centres across Canada. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed according to CLSI guidelines. A multifactorial logistic regression model was used to determine the impact of demographic factors, including age groups, on antimicrobial resistance. Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were in the top five organisms for all of the age groups. The proportions of S. aureus that were methicillin resistant, enterococci that were vancomycin resistant and E. coli that produced extended-spectrum β-lactamases were 11.2%, 0.7% and 1.0% for children, 22.8%, 4.6% and 4.3% for adults, and 28.0%, 3.8% and 4.9% for the elderly, respectively. Notable age-related differences in antimicrobial resistance patterns included the following: significantly less methicillin, clindamycin, clarithromycin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole resistance in S. aureus from children; for E. coli, higher cefazolin and ciprofloxacin resistance in the elderly and less ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin and gentamicin resistance in isolates from children; more S. pneumoniae isolates with penicillin MICs >1 mg/L in children; and for P. aeruginosa, higher resistance rates for meropenem, ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin in adults. The assessment of antimicrobial susceptibility patterns by age group revealed that resistance rates are often higher in the older age groups; however, considerable variability in age-specific resistance trends for different pathogen-antimicrobial combinations was noted.

Prevalence of Antimicrobial Resistance among Clinical Isolates of Bacteroides fragilis Group in Canada in 2010-2011: CANWARD Surveillance Study

Clinical isolates of the Bacteroides fragilis group (n = 387) were collected from patients attending nine Canadian hospitals in 2010-2011 and tested for susceptibility to 10 antimicrobial agents using the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) broth microdilution method. B. fragilis (59.9%), Bacteroides ovatus (16.3%), and Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (12.7%) accounted for ~90% of isolates collected. Overall rates of percent susceptibility were as follows: 99.7%, metronidazole; 99.5%, piperacillin-tazobactam; 99.2%, imipenem; 97.7%, ertapenem; 92.0%, doripenem; 87.3%, amoxicillin-clavulanate; 80.9%, tigecycline; 65.9%, cefoxitin; 55.6%, moxifloxacin; and 52.2%, clindamycin. Percent susceptibility to cefoxitin, clindamycin, and moxifloxacin was lowest for B. thetaiotaomicron (n = 49, 24.5%), Parabacteroides distasonis/P. merdae (n = 11, 9.1%), and B. ovatus (n = 63, 31.8%), respectively. One isolate (B. thetaiotaomicron) was resistant to metronidazole, and two isolates (both B. fragilis) were resistant to both piperacillin-tazobactam and imipenem. Since the last published surveillance study describing Canadian isolates of B. fragilis group almost 20 years ago (A.-M. Bourgault et al., Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 36:343-347, 1992), rates of resistance have increased for amoxicillin-clavulanate, from 0.8% (1992) to 6.2% (2010-2011), and for clindamycin, from 9% (1992) to 34.1% (2010-2011).

Antimicrobial Resistance in Urinary Tract Pathogens in Canada from 2007 to 2009: CANWARD Surveillance Study

From January 2007 to December 2009, an annual Canadian national surveillance study (CANWARD) tested 2,943 urinary culture pathogens for antimicrobial susceptibilities according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. The most frequently isolated urinary pathogens were as follows (number of isolates, percentage of all isolates): Escherichia coli (1,581, 54%), enterococci (410, 14%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (274, 9%), Proteus mirabilis (122, 4%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (100, 3%), and Staphylococcus aureus (80, 3%). The rates of susceptibility to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (SXT) were 78, 86, 84, and 93%, respectively, for E. coli, K. pneumoniae, P. mirabilis, and S. aureus. The rates of susceptibility to nitrofurantoin were 96, 97, 33, and 100%, respectively, for E. coli, enterococci, K. pneumoniae, and S. aureus. The rates of susceptibility to ciprofloxacin were 81, 40, 86, 81, 66, and 41%, respectively, for E. coli, enterococci, K. pneumoniae, P. mirabilis, P. aeruginosa, and S. aureus. Statistical analysis of resistance rates (resistant plus intermediate isolates) by year for E. coli over the 3-year study period demonstrated that increased resistance rates occurred only for amoxicillin-clavulanate (from 1.8 to 6.6%; P < 0.001) and for SXT (from 18.6 to 24.3%; P = 0.02). For isolates of E. coli, in a multivariate logistic regression model, hospital location was independently associated with resistance to ciprofloxacin (P = 0.026) with higher rates of resistance observed in inpatient areas (medical, surgical, and intensive care unit wards). Increased age was also associated with resistance to ciprofloxacin (P < 0.001) and with resistance to two or more commonly prescribed oral agents (amoxicillin-clavulanate, ciprofloxacin, nitrofurantoin, and SXT) (P = 0.005). We conclude that frequently prescribed empirical agents for urinary tract infections, such as SXT and ciprofloxacin, demonstrate lowered in vitro susceptibilities when tested against recent clinical isolates.

In Vitro Activity of Ceftaroline against Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Pathogens Isolated from Patients in Canadian Hospitals in 2009

The in vitro activities of ceftaroline and comparative agents were determined for a collection of the most frequently isolated bacterial pathogens from hospital-associated patients across Canada in 2009 as part of the ongoing CANWARD surveillance study. In total, 4,546 isolates from 15 sentinel Canadian hospital laboratories were tested using the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) broth microdilution method. Compared with other cephalosporins, including ceftobiprole, cefepime, and ceftriaxone, ceftaroline exhibited the greatest potency against methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), with a MIC₉₀ of 0.25 μg/ml. Ceftaroline also demonstrated greater potency than ceftobiprole against community-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) (MIC₉₀, 0.5 μg/ml) and health care-associated MRSA (MIC₉₀, 1 μg/ml) and was at least 4-fold more active than other cephalosporins against Staphylococcus epidermidis; all isolates of MSSA and MRSA tested were susceptible to ceftaroline (MIC, ≤1 μg/ml). Against streptococci, including Streptococcus pneumoniae, ceftaroline MICs (MIC₉₀, ≤0.03 μg/ml) were comparable to those of ceftobiprole; however, against penicillin-nonsusceptible, macrolide-nonsusceptible, and multidrug-nonsusceptible isolates of S. pneumoniae, ceftaroline demonstrated 2- to 4-fold and 4- to 16-fold more potent activities than those of ceftobiprole and ceftriaxone, respectively. All isolates of S. pneumoniae tested were susceptible to ceftaroline (MIC, ≤0.25 μg/ml). Among Gram-negative isolates, ceftaroline demonstrated potent activity (MIC₉₀, ≤0.5 μg/ml) against Escherichia coli (92.2% of isolates were susceptible), Klebsiella pneumoniae (94.1% of isolates were susceptible), Proteus mirabilis (97.7% of isolates were susceptible), and Haemophilus influenzae (100% of isolates were susceptible). Ceftaroline demonstrated less potent activity (MIC₉₀, ≥4 μg/ml) against Enterobacter spp., Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella oxytoca, Serratia marcescens, and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. Overall, ceftaroline demonstrated potent in vitro activity against a recent collection of the most frequently encountered Gram-positive and Gram-negative isolates from patients attending hospitals across Canada in 2009.