Antimicrobial susceptibility associated with bloodstream infections in children: a referral hospital-based study.

Bacterial pathogens are becoming more and more resistant to antibiotics used commonly by healthcare practitioners. Despite introduction of new antibiotics, empiric treatment of patients with bloodstream infections (BSIs) became a major challenge for practicing physicians.1,2 To depict the susceptibility patterns of BSI pathogens endemic in a referral pediatric hospital, Children’s Medical Center (Tehran, Iran), the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns among 3593 patients were reviewed in a 5-year period (2006–2010). Bacterial identification and disk diffusion susceptibility testing were performed, using standard methods.3 Percentages of Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria were 35% (1265/3593) and 65% (2328/3593), respectively. Enterobacter spp. (25.9%), Pseudomonas aeroginosa (25.5%), and Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) (23.2%) were the most frequent agents, followed by Staphylococcus aureus (6.2%) and Klebsiella spp. (5.9%), collectively accounting for 87% of all BSI blood isolates cultured. were Staphylococcus spp., followed by Viridans group streptococci, Streptococcus pneumonia, and Entrococcus spp. comprised about 84% of all Gram positive bacteria isolated from blood cultures. Among Gram negative bacteria, Enterbacter spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella spp., E. coli, and Salmonella spp. accounted for about 95% of isolates. Table 1 shows the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria in this study. CoNS are almost always resistant to oxacillin. Furthermore, the rate