Effect of Antibiotic Consumption on Resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated from Lebanese Patients with Emphasis on MBL Production

The relationship between antibiotic consumption and resistance has been widely evaluated. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the most important opportunistic pathogens in the nosocomial setting, and its resistance to antibiotics is increasing. Production of metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) is currently the most fearful resistance mechanism due to the potential of dissemination. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between antibiotic consumption (expressed in DDD/100 bed days) and resistance (expressed in % of isolates and patients) in different time periods for P. aeruginosa between 2006 and 2009 at Saint George Hospital University Medical Center (SGH-UMC), Beirut. Pearson correlation coefficients (r) were calculated and linear regression was performed. Detection of MBL-producing Imipenem resistant P. aeruginosa (IRPA) isolates between 2008 and 2009 was performed using three MBL screening methods: MBL Etest®, Imipenem/EDTA combined disk test and EDTA disk potentiation with four cephalosporins. The modified Hodge test was also performed. From 2006 till 2009, there was a trend of increasing resistance of P. aeruginosa to all antibiotics, and the highest % of resistance was for Ofloxacin. Concerning resistance expressed by isolates, high correlation coefficients resulted among Imipenem, Ciprofloxacin and Tazobactam consumption and resistance to these agents in the same year correlation; Ceftazidime and Ofloxacin consumption and resistance in the next year correlation; Gentamicin and Ofloxacin consumption and the change in resistance (ΔR). Concerning resistance expressed by patients, results were similar except for Ceftazidime and Ofloxacin correlation in the next year correlation. In MBL screening, three isolates gave accordance among 4 methods which showed a positive result. The correlation between antibiotic consumption and resistance is highly dependent on the kind of antibiotic, the organism and the time of correlation. Various MBL screening phenotypic methods on one isolate can increase accuracy and eliminate false positive and negative results.