Incidence of bloodstream infections in a speciality hospital in Kuwait: 8-year experience.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the frequency of isolation and antibiotic-susceptibility patterns of clinically significant bacterial pathogens isolated from blood.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

The study was conducted over a period of 8 years (1995-2002) at Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH), Kuwait. Demographic and clinical data were obtained from medical records. 18,535 blood cultures were analyzed. Disk diffusion method was used to perform antibiotic-susceptibility testing. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of 9 antimicrobials were determined using E-test. Double disk (potentiation) test and E-test ESBL strips were used to detect the production of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs).

RESULTS

Salmonella spp. and Brucella spp. were predominant blood isolates, and represented 60.6 and 30.0% of all clinically significant episodes of bloodstream infections, respectively. Among the Salmonella, Salmonella enterica serotypes typhi and paratyphi A were most frequently isolated. The percentage of multidrug resistance (MDR) among them varied from 22 to 51%. A high percentage (40%) of MDR S. enterica serotypes typhi and paratyphi A also showed reduced susceptibility to ceftriaxone and ciprofloxacin.

CONCLUSION

During the study period, Salmonella spp. and Brucella spp. were predominant blood isolates. MDR S. enterica serotypes typhi and paratyphi A, with reduced susceptibility to ceftriaxone and ciprofloxacin, are among the most frequent causes of bloodstream infections in IDH, suggesting the need to monitor their susceptibility.