The threat of multidrug-resistant microorganisms: active surveillance of key antimicrobial resistant pathogens in 2025 - a report from the INVIFAR network.

PURPOSE: Systematic collection and analysis of antimicrobial resistance data from key bacterial pathogens is essential to contribute to control antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The aim of this work was to survey the drug resistance on clinically relevant organisms stratified according to age, gender, clinical specimens and facilities.

METHODS

Microbiological data were collected from 55 centers across 24 states in Mexico between January 1 and March 31, 2025. Bacterial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing were performed at each participating center using locally available methods. Data was processed using WHONET 2025. Isolates obtained from lower respiratory specimens, urine, blood, biopsies and abscesses were analyzed. Carbapenem non-susceptible isolates were further analyzed by PCR for common carbapenemase-encoding genes. Resistance frequencies were compared using the chi-square test.

RESULTS

A total of 11,290 clinical isolates were analyzed, mostly from urine (n = 7,149; 63.3%), followed by blood (n = 1,370; 12.1%). The most prevalent was Escherichia coli (n = 6,185; 54.8%), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 1,365; 12.1%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 1,110; 9.8%). Resistance to carbapenems in E. coli was higher in respiratory isolates (imipenem: 5.8%, p = 0.016; meropenem: 5.3%, p < 0.001), with 75.9% producing extended-spectrum ß-lactamases (ESBLs). K. pneumoniae had the highest resistance to ampicillin/sulbactam (52.5%, p = 0.028) and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (62.1%, p = 0.014) in blood isolates, and 63.2% were ESBL-producers (p = 0.001). In P. aeruginosa, urine isolates showed significantly higher resistance to ceftolozane-tazobactam (24.7%, p = 0.008), ceftazidime-avibactam (36.6%, p < 0.001), and meropenem (34.5%, p = 0.009) compared to other clinical specimens included. For A. baumannii, respiratory isolates had 73.6% resistance to meropenem (p < 0.001). S. aureus from blood showed 25.7% resistance to oxacillin (p < 0.004). The most frequent carbapenemase genes were blaOXA-48-like in E. coli (26/56, 46.4%), blaNDM for K. pneumoniae (7/17, 41.2%), blaOXA-24 in A. baumannii (79/108, 73.1%) and blaIMP for P. aeruginosa (18/108, 16.7%).

CONCLUSION

This surveillance study underscores the elevated levels of antimicrobial resistance, ESBL production, and carbapenemase activity among priority pathogens, including some Enterobacterales, P. aeruginosa, and A. baumannii. These findings emphasize the urgent need to strengthen epidemiologic surveillance programs in Mexican healthcare settings.