Extended-spectrum β-lactamase & carbapenemase-producing fermentative Gram-negative bacilli in clinical isolates from a University Hospital in Southern Italy

: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs)- and carbapenemase-producing fermentative Gram-negative bacteria (FGNB) in a University Hospital in Southern Italy. These bacteria have the potential to disseminate bacterial resistance in healthcare settings and cause untreatable and prolonged infections associated with high rates of mortality. A retrospective observational study was carried out in a University Hospital in Sicily from January to December 2019. A total of 1046 FGNB were recovered from different clinical samples among which 40%, 15% and 37% were, respectively, MDR, carbapenemase and ESBL producers. Antibiotic resistance profile of FGNB against the first-line drugs was remarkably high. K. pneumoniae (57%) followed by E. coli (27%) were found here as the major sources of ESBL producers. The highest proportion of ESBL producers was from ICU ward (72%), and were isolated from urine samples (63.6%) followed by blood samples (54%). Carbapenemase production among the FGNB in our study was about 0.9%, which is more than twice than the prevalence rate reported by the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network (ECDC) (0.4%). To our knowledge, this is the first report on the prevalence of ESBL and carbapenemase-producing FGNB in this region. Our data clearly indicate the importance of implementing antibiotic stewardship strategies in our region to reduce the unnecessary use of antibiotics.