Antibiotic sensitivity of enterobacteria in intensive care units

Antibiotic therapy of intensive care patients is usually undocumented. The treatment is chosen according to epidemiologic and susceptibility data from microbiological laboratories. The aim of our study is to determine antibiotic susceptibility of enterobacteria isolated from intensive care patients during a five-month multicenter study in 18 French hospitals. Numerous (n = 1,113) strains were studied: 447 enterobacteria isolated from urine (n = 229), blood cultures (n = 106), respiratory tract specimens (n = 72), peritoneal fluids (n = 22), pus (n = 15) and catheters (n = 2). MICs of group 2 and group 3 enterobacteria were determined using the dilution agar method and were interpreted according to the CASFM (Comité de l'antibiogramme de la société fran?aise de microbiology) recommendations. Group 1 enterobacteria were most frequently isolated (67%). Only one Escherichia coli strain produced ESBL (0.3%). Among group 2 enterobacteria, one Citrobacter koseri strain produced ESBL. We did not isolate Klebsiella pneumoniae ESBL. Isolation of group 3 enterobacteria was frequent (24%). Thirty-five percent of group 3 enterobacteria were resistant to cefotaxime, 26% to ceftazidime and 16% to cefepime and cefpirome. Fourteen strains of this group produced ESBL: 13 Enterobacter aerogenes and one E. amnigenus.