A survey of antimicrobial resistance in a tertiary referral hospital in the United Arab Emirates

Published data on antimicrobial resistance are lacking for the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Knowledge of local patterns of resistance is essential to optimize guidelines for empirical antimicrobial treatment. Awareness of susceptibility patterns in other parts of the world may be important for determining empirical antimicrobial therapy for travelers or patients transferred from abroad. Antibiograms from unique isolates of common hospital and community bacteria are described in a tertiary referral hospital in the UAE, which had no antimicrobial restrictions and limited resources. Antimicrobial resistance rates were unpredictable and were high for Gram-negative organisms, such as Escherichia coli, Shigella sonnei, Campylobacter spp, and also Streptococcus pneumoniae. In contrast, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) comprised less than 5% of S. aureus isolates and glycopeptide-resistant enterococci (GRE) were not detected during the surveillance period. Our results provide data on antimicrobial resistance for the UAE and highlight the need for resources for surveillance of antimicrobial resistance.     

Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of contemporary pathogens from uncomplicated urinary tract infections isolated in a multicenter Italian survey: possible impact on guidelines

During 2004 four Italian Laboratories assessed the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance among uropathogens causing acute uncomplicated cystitis in female out-patients. A total of 600 urine samples from individuals aged 18-65 were studied. The overall prevalence of Escherichia coli was 85.3%. Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Proteus mirabilis, Enterococcus faecalis and other rarer species were far less represented. Determination of the antibiotic susceptibility pattern of the entire collection of E. coli (512 organisms) revealed that among the drugs analyzed ampicillin was the least active molecule with only 62.5% of the strains being inhibited. Amoxicillin-clavulanate and cefuroxime displayed a higher potency (87.7% and 89.2% respectively). Cotrimoxazole inhibited only 70.1% of the uropathogens. The three fluoquinolones tested had comparable activity ranging from 83.0% for ciprofloxacin, to 83.6% for levofloxacin and 84.9% for prulifloxacin, indicating an identical spectrum of cross resistance. Nitrofurantoin (96.7%) and fosfomycin (98.6%) were the most potent drugs. Against the whole collection of uropathogens, only cefuroxime, nitrofurantoin and fosfomycin overcame the threshold of 90% activity, with the fluoroquinolones and amoxicillin-clavulanate suffering from about 15% resistance. The results of this survey strongly support the conclusions of recent Italian guidelines concerning the best empiric treatment of UTI in this country today.     

A Survey of Antimicrobial Drug Resistance in Respiratory Tract Pathogens,Isolated in a Northern Italian Teaching Hospital Between 1990 and 1999

Abstract

Drug susceptibility test results of respiratory tract pathogens, isolated from patients admitted to the Clinic of Respiratory Diseases of the IRCCS San Matteo Hospital, University of Pavia (Italy) between 1990 and 1999, were retrospectively evaluated. A total of 1366 bacterial isolates were collected, including 499 Grampositive and 867 Gram-negative strains. In comparison to methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus, the methicillin-resistant strains (MRSA) showed high levels of resistance to many selected antibiotics, except for glycopeptides. Resistance rates to beta-lactams were high in both Pseudomonas aeruginosa and in the other Gram-negative isolates, while aminoglycoside and ciprofloxacin resistance was less than 20%. Some pathogens became more resistant to selected antimicrobials during the observation period, including staphylococci to methicillin, MRSA to ciprofloxacin, P. aeruginosa isolates to imipenem and ciprofloxacin, and the other Gram-negative strains to almost all drugs considered, with the exception of cefotaxime and cotrimoxazole.     

A 10-year survey of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates in Pavia and their drug resistance: a comparison with other Italian reports

A retrospective review was made of the bacteriological and medical records of patients with culture-confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis who attended the IRCCS San Matteo Polyclinic of Pavia, between 1990 and 2000. Altogether, 279 patients were included in the survey: 220 new cases and 59 prior treatment cases. Resistance to at least one drug, and resistance to both isoniazid and rifampicin (MDR) were more common among previously treated patients than among new cases (86.4% vs. 34.1%, and 44% vs. 5.9%, respectively). While the frequency of resistance to any drug showed no variation in the period examined, a trend toward a progressive decrease in the frequency of primary MDR-TB was observed (from 11.9% in 1990-1992 to 1.3% in 1998-2000). The level of resistance observed in our study suggests that all isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis should be tested for drug susceptibility, especially when obtained from patients who report a previous episode of the disease.     

Distribution and drug resistance of pathogenic bacteria isolated from cancer hospital in 2013

Objective

To understand distribution and drug resistance of pathogenic bacteria from a specialized cancer hospital in 2013 in order to provide a basis for rational clinical antimicrobial agents.

Methods

Pathogenic bacteria identification and drug sensitivity tests were performed with a VITEK 2 compact automatic identification system and data were analyzed using WHONET5.6 software.

Results

Of the 1,378 strains tested, 980 were Gram-negative bacilli, accounting for 71.1%, in which Klebsiella pneumonia, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the dominant strains. We found 328 Gram-positive coccus, accounting for 23.8%, in which the amount of Staphylococcus aureus was the highest. We identified 46 fungi, accounting for 4.1%. According to the departmental distribution within the hospital, the surgical departments isolated the major strains, accounting for 49.7%. According to disease types, lung cancer, intestinal cancer and esophagus cancer were the top three, accounting for 20.9%, 17.3% and 14.2%, respectively. No strains were resistant to imipenem, ertapenem or vancomycin.

Conclusions

Pathogenic bacteria isolated from the specialized cancer hospital have different resistance rates compared to commonly used antimicrobial agents; therefore antimicrobial agents to reduce the morbidity and mortality of infections should be used.     

Antibiotic drug prescription in respiratory tract infections: a pharmacoepidemiological survey among general practitioners in a region of Italy

Data concerning patients undergoing antibiotic treatment for upper (URTI) or lower (LRTI) respiratory tract infections were collected from 23 General Practitioners (GPs) in the Campania Region of Italy from November 15, 1997 to March 15, 1998. The objectives of the study were: a) to assess the occurrence of URTIs and LRTIs; b) to document the factors that influence GPs' choice of therapy; c) to correlate antibiotic choice with duration and outcome of treatment; d) to assess the incidence of unwanted effects. 2198 questionnaires were collected. Patients were +/-43.9 of age. URTIs were diagnosed in 65.4% and 34.6% LRTIs. The mean duration of antibiotic treatment was 4.5 days in URTIs and 5.6 days in LRTIs. The choice of antibiotic treatment was influenced by clinical assessment of infections (67.1%). The most commonly used antibiotic categories in URTIs were macrolides (39.3%), penicillins (27.4%) and cephalosporins (23.8%) whereas for LRTIs mainly cephalosporins (63.8%), penicillins (9.2%) and fluoroquinolones (7.4%) were used. Adverse events were experienced by 3.9% of patients.     

血液内科住院老年肿瘤患者感染病原菌分布和耐药性分析研究

目的 探究血液内科住院老年肿瘤患者并发感染时分离获得的致病菌分布特点及其对抗感染药物的耐药性.方法 在2010年1月至2012年6月期间,采用常规方法对血液内科住院老年肿瘤患者并发感染时获得的标本进行病原菌分离和培养,采用微量稀释法进行药敏试验.结果 所有送检标本中分离出致病菌共302株,其中革兰阴性菌194株,革兰阳性菌91株,真菌17株.分离出的真菌大多对抗真菌药物敏感,革兰阴性菌对碳青霉烯类抗生素最敏感,革兰阳性菌对万古霉素和替考拉宁敏感.结论 血液内科住院老年肿瘤患者感染以革兰阴性菌为主,在细菌培养结果出来前,建议使用以抗革兰阴性菌为主、同时兼顾抗革兰阳性菌的广谱抗生素.     

老年中心型肺癌并发阻塞性肺炎的病原菌分布及耐药性监测

目的:研究老年中心型肺癌并发阻塞性肺炎的病原菌分布及耐药性监测。方法:选自我院于2015年11月至2017年11月期间收治的老年中心型肺癌并发阻塞性肺炎患者122例作为观察对象。分离、培养、鉴定患者病原菌并进行药敏试验。观察病原菌分布特点、主要革兰阳性菌及革兰阴性菌对抗菌药物耐药情况。结果:122例老年中心型肺癌并发阻塞性肺炎患者共分离培养病原菌144株,其中革兰阳性菌56株、革兰阴性菌82株、真菌6株。表皮葡萄球菌对红霉素及青霉素G耐药率较高,分别为80.0%和100.0%;金黄色葡萄球菌对红霉素及青霉素G耐药率较高,分别为90.9%和100.0%。铜绿假单胞菌对美罗培南及头孢哌酮耐药率较高,分别为85.7%和92.9%;肺炎克雷伯菌对头孢曲松及左氧氟沙星耐药率较高,分别为87.5%和93.8%。结论:老年中心型肺癌并发阻塞性肺炎的病原菌分布以革兰阴性菌为主,且对部分抗菌药物耐药明显,值得临床上注意。     

The teaching of clinical oncology in Italian medical schools. A survey among teachers and students

BACKGROUND:: Oncologists, health care workers and health organizations considerwell-performed teaching programs in clinical oncology a fundamentalstep in cancer control. The aim of our study was to assess theviews of teachers and students on the present status of oncologyteaching in Italian medical schools and on the most common shortcomingsin cancer education. MATERIALS AND METHODS:: A survey was carried out among teachers and students of 17 Italianmedical schools using two different questionnaires. Six hundredforty-seven students of Northern, Central and Southern Italyin the final two years (5th and 6th) of their medical curriculumand 87 professors of pathology, surgery, internal medicine andmedical oncology completed the questionnaires. RESULTS:: Doctor/patient relationships and integration among disciplineswere the most unsatisfactory aspects of oncology teaching, accordingto students. Biology, epidemiology, radiotherapy, and medicaltreatment were felt to be in-sufficiently treated, whilst diagnosticaspects, clinical management and surgery were rated sufficient.The median number of cancer patients to whom each student hadaccess during his/her training was limited, averaging only 13patients; however, a high degree of variability was noted. Alarger number of patients was generally observed in smaller,less crowded medical schools, with notable exceptions. Althoughthe majority of teachers had clinical practices related to theirdisciplines, only a small number of students underwent a periodof clinical training. Traditional methods of teaching were preferredto innovative methods, while interaction among disciplines wasuncommon. CONCLUSIONS: This survey emphasizes the dualism between students' expectationsand teachers' ideas about cancer teaching. Doctor/patient relationshipsand poor attention to practical clinical problems seem the mostcritical issues for clinical oncology training in Italian medicalschools. curriculum, medical education, medical oncology, medical schools, survey, teaching methods     

Social factors, diet and breast cancer in a northern Italian population

The relation of breast cancer to social and dietary variables was evaluated in a case-control study of 368 women with breast cancer admitted to the General Hospital of Pordenone (a town in the eastern side of Northern Italy) and 373 age-matched controls. Occupation was related to the risk of breast cancer, housewives and non-manual workers (teachers and other professionals, clerical workers, etc.) showing relative risks of 1.7 and 2.4 respectively when compared to women occupied in agriculture. The role of education was apparently less important, and not statistically significant. The risk was higher in women who were obese, the trend of increasing risk with increasing body mass index being confined to post-menopausal women. When indicators of dietary fat intake were analysed, a significantly increased risk was found with more frequent consumption of milk and dairy products but the risk estimates were only slightly above unity with reference to meat consumption. Women who drank alcoholic beverages showed a relative risk of 2.5 compared to women who had never drunk, when allowance was made for all identified potential confounding factors. The association between alcohol and breast cancer was not explained by the other dietary variables considered, and the risk estimates were higher for women who drank more wine, or more than one type of alcoholic beverage. Thus, the findings of the present study give evidence in favour of the hypothesis that alcohol consumption is related to the risk of breast cancer.     

急性白血病患儿化疗后下呼吸道感染病原菌分布情况及耐药性分析

目的 分析急性白血病患儿化疗后下呼吸道感染病原菌分布情况及耐药性,为临床抗生素的合理使用提供参考依据.方法 收集524例急性淋巴细胞白血病患儿的痰液标本进行病原菌培养,经过病原菌培养结果确定合并下呼吸道感染患儿116例,感染率为22.14％.依据全国临床检验操作规程对116例患儿的感染病原菌进行鉴定,采用Kirby-Bauer纸片琼脂扩散法体外药敏试验,分析病原菌对药物的敏感性.结果 116例下呼吸道感染患儿共检出138株致病菌株,其中细菌122例(88.41％),主要为革兰阴性菌,共72株(52.17％),病原菌以肺炎克雷伯菌为主,为27株(19.57％);其次为革兰阳性菌50株(36.23％),病原菌以金黄色葡萄球菌为主,为25珠(18.12％).金黄色葡萄球菌和表皮葡萄球菌对青霉素的耐药率分别高达96.00％及92.86％,对红霉素的耐药率分别为60.00％及64.29％,对庆大霉素、克林霉素、环丙沙星、左氧氟沙星的耐药率均≥28％,对万古霉素均未产生耐药.铜绿假单胞菌对头孢曲松、头孢噻肟的耐药率均高达94.74％,对四环素、氨苄西林有一定的耐药性;肺炎克雷伯菌对氨苄西林、头孢曲松、阿米卡星和氨曲南的耐药率均有较高的耐药率,约为40％;二者均未对亚胺培南产生耐药.结论 急性白血病化疗患儿发生下呼吸道感染的病原菌主要为革兰阴性菌,对不同的抗生素存在一定程度的耐药性,临床需调整用药方案从而加强对患儿抗菌药物的合理使用.     

肿瘤患者感染病原菌的分布及耐药性分析

目的：了解肿瘤患者感染病原菌的分布及耐药性分析,为合理用药提供依据。方法：对本院肿瘤患者送检的合格标本分离菌株进行培养鉴定和耐药性分析。结果：405株病原菌中G-杆菌228株,占56．3％;G＋球菌67株,占16．5％;真菌110株,占27．2％;药敏试验结果提示G-杆菌对亚胺培南、美罗培南高度敏感,对氨苄西林、哌拉西林耐药率很高。结论：肿瘤患者易发生院内感染且易产生耐药株,在选择抗生素时应依据药敏实验结果合理选用药物,控制病原菌的耐药性。     

肿瘤患者感染病原菌的分布及耐药性分析

目的:了解肿瘤患者感染病原菌的分布及耐药性分析,为合理用药提供依据。方法:对本院肿瘤患者送检的合格标本分离菌株进行培养鉴定和耐药性分析。结果:405株病原菌中G-杆菌228株,占56.3%;G+球菌67株,占16.5%;真菌110株,占27.2%;药敏试验结果提示G-杆菌对亚胺培南、美罗培南高度敏感,对氨苄西林、哌拉西林耐药率很高。结论:肿瘤患者易发生院内感染且易产生耐药株,在选择抗生素时应依据药敏实验结果合理选用药物,控制病原菌的耐药性。     

Coffee and cancer: a review of epidemiological studies, 1990-1999.

Epidemiological studies on the relation between coffee consumption and cancer risk have been mainly focused on cancers of the urinary bladder, pancreas and colorectum. The relation between coffee and bladder cancer is controversial, despite a large number of studies published over the last three decades. In most studies, the risk tends to be higher in coffee drinkers than in those who do not drink coffee, but the excess risk is generally moderate and is neither dose- nor duration-related. Thus, a strong association between coffee drinking and bladder cancer can be excluded, although it is still unclear whether the weak association is causal or nonspecific and due to some bias or confounding. For pancreatic cancer, a possible association with coffee consumption has been postulated in a large case-control study published in 1981; since then, however, most studies have shown no substantial association, and overall evidence suggests that coffee is not materially related to pancreatic cancer risk. Overall evidence on the coffee-colorectal cancer relation suggests an inverse association, since most case-control studies found odds ratios below unity, particularly for colon cancer. The pattern of risk is less clear for cohort studies. A plausible biological explanation has been given in terms of coffee-related reduction of bile acids and neutral sterol secretion in the colon. For other cancer sites, including oral cavity, oesophagus, stomach, liver, breast, ovary, kidney and lymphoid neoplasms, the relation of coffee drinking with cancer risk has been less extensively investigated, but the evidence is largely reassuring.     

血液内科住院老年肿瘤患者感染病原菌分布和耐药性分析研究

目的分析血液内科住院老年肿瘤患者感染病原菌的分布及耐药性。方法采集血液内科住院老年肿瘤患者血液标本117份,痰液80份。应用全自动血培养仪采样,API细菌鉴定系统进行病原菌检测及菌株鉴定,抗菌药物敏感性试验纸片进行药物敏感性试验。结果共分离出致病菌1513株,其中革兰氏阴性杆菌、革兰氏阳性球菌、真菌的数量及检出率分别为852株(56.3%)、283株(18.7%)和378株(25.0%)。革兰氏阴性杆菌主要以大肠埃希菌、铜绿假单胸菌和肺炎克雷伯菌为主,分别为220株(25.8%)、83株(9.7%)和62株(7.2%);真菌主要为白色念珠菌,检出率为8.6%。抗菌药物敏感性试验结果显示,革兰氏阴性杆菌对美罗培南、亚胺培南敏感度高,对氨苄西林、哌拉西林有很高的耐药性。结论血液内科老年肿瘤患者易发生院内感染,且容易产生耐药性,临床上应通过抗菌药物敏感性试验结果合理选择药物,以减少病原菌耐药性,提高临床治愈率。     

Dietary habits, internal migration and social class in a sample of a northern Italian population.

The study of migrants has generated interesting hypotheses on the etiology of different types of cancer. In particular, it has been suggested that both colon and breast cancer could be related to living conditions, including diet, in the country of immigration. Considerable internal migration occurred in Italy in the sixties. We studied a random sample of 1,400 subjects living in the city of Torino and the province of Varese. They were interviewed with a detailed questionnaire about their dietary habits, and the consumption of several nutrients was considered according to the area of birth and social class. The hypothesis we tested was whether, after controlling for social class, there were different dietary habits among the migrants and the native population, and whether such differences could help in the formulation of etiologic hypotheses on cancer. We found that the intake of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol was lower among the migrants from the south, whereas they consumed higher levels of vegetables than people born in the north. The different intake of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol seemed to be attributable mainly to the consumption of butter, for which the south/north ratio was as low as 0.47 in men and 0.56 in women. Important gradients by social class were also suggested for several nutrients.     

Recurrent respiratory tract infections in pediatric age: a population-based survey of the therapeutic role of macrolides

In order to evaluate the efficacy of macrolides in pediatric patients with recurrent respiratory tract infections (RRTIs), we enrolled 1,706 children (783 females) aged between 6 months and 14 years (median: 4 years) with an acute respiratory infection and a history of RRTIs (> or = 8 episodes per year if aged < 3 years; > or = 6 episodes per year if aged > or = 3 years). The therapies were chosen by the primary care pediatricians and their effects on respiratory relapses were blindly analyzed. Regardless of age and clinical diagnosis, the children treated with macrolides showed a significantly higher rate of short- and long-term clinical success than those receiving beta-lactams (p<0.0001) or symptomatics alone (p<0.0001). These data show that macrolide therapy of acute respiratory infections influences the natural history of RRTIs, probably because of their elective activity on atypical bacteria. They also suggest the possible importance of these pathogens in causing recurrences of respiratory infections in children and show that the infections they cause may have a more complicated course unless treated with adequate antibacterial drugs.