Antibiotic resistance rates and phenotypes among isolates of Enterobacteriaceae in French extra-hospital practice

Increasing Antibiotic Resistance Among Isolates ofEscherichia coliRecovered From Inpatients and Outpatients in a Saudi Arabian Hospital

Objective.

To study the pattern of antibiotic resistance amongEscherichia coliand the trend in resistance during a 6-year period in a Saudi Arabian hospital.

Design.

Retrospective in vitro surveillance study of the antibiotic susceptibility pattern amongE. coliisolates recovered from outpatients and from inpatients.

Setting.

A general hospital in Saudi Arabia.

Patients.

All patients with a culture positive forE. coliduring a 6-year study period.

Results.

A statistically significant increase in antibiotic resistance was observed among outpatient and inpatient isolates ofE, coli.Inpatient isolates were more likely to be resistant to antimicrobial agents. Among isolates from outpatients, 50% were resistant to ampicillin, 33% were resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMZ), and 14% were resistant to ciprofloxacin. Among isolates from inpatients, 63% were resistant to ampicillin, 44% were resistant to TMP-SMZ, and 33% were resistant to ciprofloxacin. There was a low rate of resistance to imipenem (0.3% of isolates), amikacin (2%), and nitrofurantoin (2.4%-6.5%). Resistance to ceftazidime was detected in 9% of outpatient isolates and 17% of inpatient isolates. Multidrug resistance was defined as resistance to 2 or more classes of antibiotics. Multidrug resistance was detected in 2.0%-28.1% of outpatient isolates and 7.4%-39.6% of inpatient isolates, depending on the combination of antimicrobials tested. More isolates were resistant to ampicillin plus TMP-SMZ than to any other combination of antimicrobials.

Conclusion.

The prevalence of antibiotic resistance among outpatient and inpatientE. coliisolates increased during the study period. The rates of antibiotic resistance were statistically significantly higher among inpatient isolates, compared with outpatient isolates. These findings call for wiser use of antibiotics and continued surveillance of antibiotic resistance.

Epidemiology of urinary tract infections, bacterial species and resistances in primary care in France

General practitioners often have to manage urinary tract infections (UTI) with probabilistic treatments, although bacterial resistances are increasing. Therefore, the French Society of Infectious Diseases published new guidelines in 2014. The aim of this study was to investigate the bacterial epidemiology of UTI in the general population in primary care and analyse risk factors for Escherichia coli resistance to antibiotics. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 12 ambulatory laboratories. Patients over 18 years of age coming for urinalysis were included. Risk factors for UTI were collected using a questionnaire and the laboratory records. Bacteria meeting criteria for UTI were analysed. A positive urinalysis was found in 1119 patients, corresponding to 1125 bacterial isolates. The bacterial species were: E. coli (73 %), Enterococcus spp. (7 %), Klebsiella spp. (6 %), Proteus spp. (4 %), Staphylococcus spp. (3 %) and Pseudomonas spp. (2 %). Regardless of the bacteria, the most common resistance was that to co-trimoxazole: 27 % (95 % confidence interval [CI] = [0.24; 0.30]), followed by ofloxacin resistance: 16 % [0.14; 0.18]. Escherichia coli resistances to co-trimoxazole, ofloxacin, cefixime, nitrofurantoin and fosfomycin were, respectively, 25.5 % [0.23; 0.28], 17 % [0.14; 0.20], 5.6 % [0.04; 0.07], 2.2 % [0.01; 0.03] and 1.2 % [0.005; 0.02]. Independent risk factors for E. coli resistance to ofloxacin were age over 85 years (odds ratio [OR] = 3.08; [1.61; 5.87]) and a history of UTI in the last 6 months (OR = 2.34; [1.54; 3.52]). Our findings support the guidelines recommending fluoroquinolone sparing. The scarcity of E. coli resistance to fosfomycin justifies its use as a first-line treatment in acute cystitis. These results should be reassessed in a few years to identify changes in the bacterial epidemiology of UTI.

Antibiotic resistance patterns of more than 120 000 clinical Escherichia coli isolates in Southeast Austria, 1998-2013

Antibiotic resistance patterns of more than 120 000 clinical Escherichia coli isolates were retrospectively analysed. Isolates originated from both hospitalized patients and outpatients from the region of southeast Austria from 1998 to 2013. Except for amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, nitrofurantoin and piperacillin/tazobactam, all of the antibiotics analysed showed increasing proportions of resistant isolates over time, which were most prominent for ampicillin (from 25.4% in 1998 to 40% in 2013), cefotaxime (0.1% to 6.7%), ceftazidime (0.3% to 14.2%), ciprofloxacin (4.3% to 16.7%) and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (14.6% to 24.8%). There was a marked increase in extended-spectrum β-lactamase-positive isolates (0.1% to 6.3%) starting in 2005, with male patients and hospital-related patients showing a higher increase than female patients and outpatients. Proportions of resistant isolates for most antibiotics were generally higher for male patients and hospital-related patients. Amikacin, nitrofurantoin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole showed a marked increase in resistance proportions among male subjects aged 10 to 19 years which were absent for female subjects, indicating a strong modulation potential of host characteristics.

[Enterobacteriaceae producing extended spectrum beta-lactamase: epidemiology, risk factors, and prevention]

Multidrug-resistant bacteria are a major worldwide health public concern. It results from the growing increase in antibiotic prescriptions, which are responsible for selection pressure on bacteria. In France like in other countries, enterobacteriaceae producing extended spectrum beta-lactamase (EESBL) are the predominant multidrug-resistant bacteria. EESBL may be responsible for severe infections and require prescription of broad-spectrum antibacterial agents. The current EESBL outbreak is different from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus outbreak that occurred in the early 1980. Consistently, EESBL are isolated both in hospital and community. Moreover, standard hygiene measures appear ineffective since EESBL prevalence is still increasing. The current inability to contain EESBL outbreak is due to several factors, including the existence of a wide community- and hospital-acquired tank of EESBL, failure to follow strict rules for hygiene, and the current irrational prescription of antibiotics.

Antimicrobial resistance in more than 100,000 Escherichia coli isolates according to culture site and patient age, gender, and location

Escherichia coli and the antimicrobial pressure exerted on this microorganism can be modulated by factors dependent on the host. In this paper, we describe the distribution of antimicrobial resistance to amikacin, tobramycin, ampicillin, amoxicillin clavulanate, cefuroxime, cefoxitin, cefotaxime, imipenem, ciprofloxacin, fosfomycin, nitrofurantoin, and trimetoprim-sulfametoxazole in more than 100,000 E. coli isolates according to culture site and patient age, gender, and location. Bayesian inference was planned in all statistical analysis, and Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation was employed to estimate the model parameters. Our findings show the existence of a marked difference in the susceptibility to several antimicrobial agents depending on from where E. coli was isolated, with higher levels of resistance in isolates from medical devices, the respiratory system, and the skin and soft tissues; a higher resistance percentage in men than in women; and the existence of a clear difference in antimicrobial resistance with an age influence that cannot be explained merely by means of an increase of resistance after exposure to antimicrobials. Both men and women show increases in resistance with age, but while women show constant levels of resistance or slight increases during childbearing age and greater increases in the premenopausal age, men show a marked increase in resistance in the pubertal age. In conclusion, an overwhelming amount of data reveals the great adaptation capacity of E. coli and its close interaction with the host. Sex, age, and the origin of infection are determining factors with the ability to modulate antimicrobial resistances.

The unusual antibacterial activity of medical-grade Leptospermum honey: antibacterial spectrum, resistance and transcriptome analysis

There is an urgent need for new, effective agents in topical wound care, and selected honeys show potential in this regard. Using a medical-grade honey, eight species of problematic wound pathogens, including those with high levels of innate or acquired antibiotic resistance, were killed by 4.0-14.8% honey, which is a concentration that can be maintained in the wound environment. Resistance to honey could not be induced under conditions that rapidly induced resistance to antibiotics. Escherichia coli macroarrays were used to determine the response of bacterial cells to a sub-lethal dose of honey. The pattern of gene expression differed to that reported for other antimicrobial agents, indicating that honey acts in a unique and multifactorial way; 78 (2%) genes were upregulated and 46 (1%) genes were downregulated more than two-fold upon exposure to the medical-grade honey. Most of the upregulated genes clustered into distinct functional regulatory groups, with many involved in stress responses, and the majority of downregulated genes encoded for products involved in protein synthesis. Taken together, these data indicate that honey is an effective topical antimicrobial agent that could help reduce some of the current pressures that are promoting antibiotic resistance.

Nationwide survey of extended-spectrum {beta}-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in the French community setting

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of the extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing enterobacteria (ESBLE) in the French community, during a 2006 survey.

METHODS

All enterobacteria isolated from urine samples of patients, exhibiting a decreased susceptibility to broad-spectrum cephalosporins, were analysed for their beta-lactamase content (synergy test, isoelectrofocusing, conjugation transfer, PCR amplification and/or cloning experiments and sequencing). Additional co-resistances were investigated by PCR, sequencing and/or cloning. Epidemiological relationship was studied by PFGE for all species and, in addition, for Escherichia coli by the determination of the phylogenetic group, multilocus sequence type (ST) and O25b antigen. Characteristics of CTX-M-producing E. coli carriers were compared with other ESBLE carriers.

RESULTS

Seventy-two ESBLE were collected from 71 patients. Most of them expressed a CTX-M enzyme (n = 42, comprising 40 E. coli), with a predominance of CTX-M-15 (n = 24); 10 CTX-M-15-producing E. coli belonged to the same clone (phylogroup B2, ST131, serotype O25b). The 30 remaining strains possessed a TEM- or SHV-type ESBL. In addition, three strains presented unusual co-resistances such as DHA-1 (n = 2), QnrB4 and ArmA. Risk factors for ESBLE acquisition were substantially less frequent when the ESBL was of the CTX-M type, except for prior antimicrobial therapy. Eighteen percent of the patients were considered to have true community-acquired ESBLE; most of them harboured a CTX-M-producing E. coli.

CONCLUSIONS

This first nationwide study reports an ESBLE prevalence of 1.1% in the French community setting in 2006, mainly related to the presence of CTX-M-producing E. coli strains; furthermore, unusual co-resistances rarely found in the community setting were occasionally observed, which may threaten future emergence.

Incidence and impact on clinical outcome of infections with piperacillin/tazobactam resistant Escherichia coli in ICU: a retrospective study

BACKGROUND

Escherichia coli infections are frequent in ICU patients. The increased resistance to fluoroquinolones and amoxicillin/clavulanate of this pathogen mandates the prescription of broad-spectrum antibiotics such as piperacillin/tazobactam (PIP-TAZ) or third generation cephalosporins (3GC).

METHODS

To assess incidence and impact on clinical outcome of infections with PIP-TAZ resistant E. coli in ICU patients, we conducted a retrospective cohort study with infections due to PIP-TAZ resistant (PIP-TAZ R) or to PIP-TAZ susceptible strains (PIP-TAZ S) between 1 January 2002 and 30 June 2004.

RESULTS

Of 83 strains, 13 were PIP-TAZ R: 2 strains produced an extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (2%), 11 produced a high level penicillinase (13%). Prior amoxicillin or amoxicillin/clavulanate prescription was reported in 7 cases (54%) of infections with PIP-TAZ R isolates and in 15 cases (21%) of infections with PIP-TAZ S isolates (p = 0.03). Time of onset of the infection from hospital admission was longer in case of infections with PIP-TAZ R than with PIP-TAZ S isolates (22 +/- 32 vs 10 +/- 21 days, p = 0.01). The overall ICU mortality rate was 38%. Mortality and length of stay in ICU were similar in case of infections with PIP-TAZ R isolates and with PIP-TAZ S isolates.

CONCLUSION

Infections with PIP-TAZ R E. coli are frequent in ICU patients. No prognostic impact of this pattern of resistance was found. Prescription of PIP-TAZ for empirical treatment of E. coli infections in ICU however exposes to inappropriate therapy.

Beta-lactam and aminoglycoside resistance rates and mechanisms among Pseudomonas aeruginosa in French general practice (community and private healthcare centres)

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to assess antibiotic resistance rates and mechanisms of beta-lactam and aminoglycoside resistance among isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated in the extra-hospital setting (community and private healthcare centres).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

During a 4 month period, 226 non-repetitive strains of P. aeruginosa were collected from patients residing in private healthcare centres (73.5%) or at home (26.5%). Resistance rates were evaluated by MIC determination, and beta-lactam and aminoglycoside resistance was analysed by phenotypic tests, PCR amplification, cloning and sequencing.

RESULTS

Among the ticarcillin-resistant strains (38.1%), 33.7% overexpressed their chromosomal cephalosporinase, 27.9% produced acquired penicillinases (21 PSE-1, 2 OXA-21 and 1 TEM-2), 4.7% produced extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) (3 TEM-21 and 1 SHV-2a) and 45.3% possessed a non-enzymatic resistance (NER). Thus, 88.4% had a single mechanism of resistance, whereas 11.6% cumulated several mechanisms. No carbapenemases were detected among the 6.6% imipenem-resistant strains. With regard to aminoglycosides, 23.0% of the strains exhibited an acquired resistance to gentamicin (GEN), tobramycin (TOB), amikacin (AMK) or netilmicin (NET). Enzymatic resistance was more frequent (71.2%) than NER (34.6%). Various aminoglycoside modifying enzymes were associated with overlapping phenotypes: 36.5% strains produced AAC(6')-I with either a serine (GEN-TOB-NET) or a leucine (TOB-NET-AMK) at position 119, or both variants (GEN-TOB-NET-AMK); 21.2% expressed ANT(2'')-I (GEN-TOB), 7.7% AAC(3)-II (GEN-TOB-NET), 5.8% AAC(3)-I (GEN) and 1.9% AAC(6')-II (GEN-TOB-NET-AMK) or AACA7 (TOB-NET-AMK).

CONCLUSIONS

Antibiotic resistance rates in P. aeruginosa were globally similar in general practice as in French hospitals. This first analysis of resistance mechanisms showed an unexpectedly high frequency of ESBLs and an unusual distribution of aminoglycoside modifying enzymes.

Extended-spectrum-beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae strains in various types of private health care centers

During a 2004 survey, 49 extended-spectrum-beta-lactamase-producing enterobacteria were collected in 20 French private health care centers and one local hospital. They included 12 CTX-M-producing Escherichia coli strains (1.8% versus 0.3% in a 1999 survey). Most of them belonged to the same clone and contained a bla(CTX-M-15) gene on similar conjugative plasmids.

Increasing antibiotic resistance among isolates of Escherichia coli recovered from inpatients and outpatients in a Saudi Arabian hospital

OBJECTIVE

To study the pattern of antibiotic resistance among Escherichia coli and the trend in resistance during a 6-year period in a Saudi Arabian hospital.

DESIGN

Retrospective in vitro surveillance study of the antibiotic susceptibility pattern among E. coli isolates recovered from outpatients and from inpatients.

SETTING

A general hospital in Saudi Arabia.

PATIENTS

All patients with a culture positive for E. coli during a 6-year study period.

RESULTS

A statistically significant increase in antibiotic resistance was observed among outpatient and inpatient isolates of E. coli. Inpatient isolates were more likely to be resistant to antimicrobial agents. Among isolates from outpatients, 50% were resistant to ampicillin, 33% were resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMZ), and 14% were resistant to ciprofloxacin. Among isolates from inpatients, 63% were resistant to ampicillin, 44% were resistant to TMP-SMZ, and 33% were resistant to ciprofloxacin. There was a low rate of resistance to imipenem (0.3% of isolates), amikacin (2%), and nitrofurantoin (2.4%-6.5%). Resistance to ceftazidime was detected in 9% of outpatient isolates and 17% of inpatient isolates. Multidrug resistance was defined as resistance to 2 or more classes of antibiotics. Multidrug resistance was detected in 2.0%-28.1% of outpatient isolates and 7.4%-39.6% of inpatient isolates, depending on the combination of antimicrobials tested. More isolates were resistant to ampicillin plus TMP-SMZ than to any other combination of antimicrobials.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of antibiotic resistance among outpatient and inpatient E. coli isolates increased during the study period. The rates of antibiotic resistance were statistically significantly higher among inpatient isolates, compared with outpatient isolates. These findings call for wiser use of antibiotics and continued surveillance of antibiotic resistance.

Second-line treatment of limb-threatening diabetic foot infections with intravenous fosfomycin

Diabetic foot infections (DFI) expanding to bones and joints are associated with a poor prognosis of limb salvage. The bactericidal epoxide fosfomycin accumulates in inflamed soft and bone tissue, and may represent a potential treatment option for targeting severe DFI. Fifty-two patients (35 men, 17 women, mean age 62.9 +/- SD 9.2 years) with limb-threatening DFI (that is, Wagner grade 3 and higher) were enrolled in a multi-center compassionate use program of fosfomycin. Twenty-two patients (42.4%) had unsuccessfully been pretreated with other antimicrobials. Besides standard treatment (topical wound care and surgical debridement), eligible subjects received a combination of 8 to 24 g fosfomycin daily, and a conventional antibiotic agent, usually a beta-lactam compound. Treatment duration averaged 14.4 +/- 8.3 days. Limb-sparing surgery was possible in 48 patients (92.3%, 95% confidence interval 81.5-97.9%). Only four participants faced mild drug-related side effects (nausea, rash). Logistic regression analysis showed a trend towards better results with prolonged treatment, whereas a dose increase above 12 g daily did not affect outcomes. In DFI being resistant to conventional antibiotic agents, intravenous fosfomycin offers an effective treatment choice that may increase the likelihood of limb preservation. The present data warrant a larger comparative trial to stabilize effect estimates.

Clinical and molecular analysis of extended-spectrum {beta}-lactamase-producing enterobacteria in the community setting

During a previous survey, five extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing enterobacteria (ESBLE) (two Enterobacter aerogenes isolates expressing TEM-24 b, two Escherichia coli isolates expressing TEM-21 or TEM-24 b, and one Klebsiella pneumoniae isolate expressing SHV-4/TEM-15) responsible for urinary tract infections (UTIs) were found among 1,584 strains collected from community patients. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the route of emergence of these typically nosocomial organisms in the community. Thus, the files of the five patients were analyzed over at least a decade, and potentially related ESBLE from hospitals or clinics were examined. Their enzymes were characterized at a molecular level, and the strains were typed by amplified-primed PCR, enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus PCR, and restriction plasmid profile. All patients (C1 to C5) had risk factors for ESBLE acquisition, including past history of hospitalization (2.5 to 23 months before). Four (C1 and C3 to C5) had previously received antibiotics (concomitantly to 35 months earlier), two (C1 and C3) had indwelling urinary catheters and recurrent UTIs, and three (C2, C3, and C5) formerly experienced ESBLE-induced UTIs (2 to 11 months before). The same ESBLE and/or an identical or similar ESBL-encoding plasmid was identified in the hospital ward (C1 to C4) or in a clinic (C5) where the patients had previously resided. Patients C1 and C4, infected with different ESBLE carrying a closely related plasmid, were hospitalized in the same unit. Persistence of ESBLE over at least a 5-year period was demonstrated for patient C3. Thus, community-acquired UTIs in these patients likely resulted from nosocomially acquired ESBLE or an ESBL-encoding plasmid followed by a prolonged digestive carriage.