A Short Communication: Bloodstream infection among cancer patients at Shafa cancer hospital- Ahwaz

Abstract

We performed a prospective assessment of the current epidemiology of bacteraemia in 612 cancer patients, with patient's age (mean 30, range 1-81 years), at Shafa cancer hospital – Ahwaz, Iran. Over the one year period, microbiologists collected clinical data relating to patients with at least one positive blood culture. In addition, all strains isolated were assessed for their in vitro susceptibility of various antibiotics. A total of
194 different strains were isolated from 1689 blood cultures taken from 622 different patients. Coagulasenegative staphylococci (CoNS) were the leading pathogens (36.2%), followed by E. coli (19.2%), P. aeruginosa (14.5%), S. aureus (14%). Enterobacter spp, Citrobacter spp and S. typhi were 2%, 3.6% and 2.5% respectively. Klebsiella pneumoniae and Candida spp accounted for 2% and 1.5% respectively. High rates of methicillin resistance were detected among Coagulase-negative staphylococci (77.2%) and S. aureus
(22.3%). Vancomycin resistance was detected in 22.3% of Staphylococcus aureus isolates. Among gramnegative bacteria 97.3%, 89.3%, and 86.5% of E. coli isolates were resistant to Ampicillin, Doxycyclin and Co-trimoxazole respectively. Similarly, 89.3 % and 78.6 of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates were resistant to Ampicillin and Ceftizoxime respectively. 100% of Klebsiella pneumoniae, Citrobacter spp, Enterobacter spp, S. typhi isolates were resistant to Ampicillin. It worth to note that all the Coliforms were 87% sensitive
to Amikacin. This study confirms the predominant role of Gram-positive cocci in bacteraemia occurring in cancer patients and we concluded that continuous surveillance of BSI is warranted in this high-risk group of patients in order to develop strategies for antimicrobial resistance control and treatment of infectious complications.

Keywords: Blood stream infection, Coagulase negative staphylococci, antimicrobial resistant

> Journal of Tropical Microbiology and Biotechnology Vol. 3(1) 2007: pp. 3-6