Longitudinal Trends in Pediatric Non-Salmonella Gram-Negative Enterobacterales Infections at a Tertiary Care Center in West Africa, 2005-2023.

BACKGROUND

Despite data demonstrating the high prevalence of third-generation cephalosporin resistant Gram-negative Enterobacterales (GNE) among children in sub-Saharan Africa, longitudinal descriptions of resistance among these pathogens from Francophone West Africa remain rare.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective analysis of pathogen-positive children 0-15 years old included in an invasive bacterial infection study at l'Hôpital Gabriel Touré (in Bamako, Mali) from 2005 to 2023. We aimed to describe changes in pathogen burden and non-Salmonella GNE resistance over time and compare in-hospital mortality between patients with and without non-Salmonella GNE pathogens. Isolates from 2021 to 2023 underwent whole-genome sequencing to identify genes conferring antimicrobial resistance.

RESULTS

Of 3803 pathogen-positive patients, 392 grew at least 1 non-Salmonella GNE pathogen. The proportion of pathogen-positive patients with non-Salmonella GNE increased (6% vs 38%) from 2005-2023. Third-generation cephalosporin and multidrug resistance among non-Salmonella GNE increased from 30% and 55%, respectively, in 2005-2009, to 93% (both) by 2021-2023. Children 0-2 months old from outside Bamako and 3 months-15 years old from and from outside Bamako with non-Salmonella GNE had higher mortality odds (3.17, 95% CI 1.69-5.95; 2.13, 95% CI 1.44-3.14; and 2.25, 95% CI 1.38-3.66, respectively) than similar patients with other pathogens. Sequencing confirmed the presence of the emerging pathogen Pantoea dispersa and revealed genes conferring multidrug resistance.

CONCLUSIONS

Data from this large pediatric referral center in Mali show a high and rising burden of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative Enterobacterales. These patterns reflect concerns increasingly reported across sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting the urgency of strengthening antimicrobial access, diagnostics, and stewardship strategies in similar settings.