Antimicrobial Susceptibility Patterns Of Blood Culture Isolates From Cancer Patients After Anti-Cancer Therapy.

Abstract

Abstract: Blood stream infections (BSI) have a major impact on cancer patients. Antimicrobial patterns in pathogens should be analyzed by routine surveillance since they vary among different healthcare facilities and geographical area. This study focuses on epidemiology, clinical features, and antimicrobial profiles of cancer patients with BSI after anticancer therapy. A Descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted within a period of 4 months. The causative agents and antibiotic profiles were studied according to Clinical Laboratory Standards institutes (CLSI) and VITEK automated system. Antibiotic profiles of organisms and antibiotic resistance patterns were analyzed in terms of frequency. The prevalence of BSI was 11.75%. Gram negative bacilli (GNB) were higher than gram positive cocci (GPC). Among GNB the most prevalent was Klebsiella pneumoniae and among GPC it was, Staphylococcus aureus. Prevalence of multi-drug resistance (MDR) was 78.8%. High resistance to Erythromycin was seen in patients with hematological cancers while high resistance to Benzyl penicillin was seen in patients with solid cancers. Chemotherapy had no significant impact on presence of multi-drug resistance while the association between CRP with ANC and presence of fever was not significant. Among different antibiotic resistant groups, ESBL and Carbapenem resistances were noted. According to our study high prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in Gram-negative isolates and emergence of MDR pathogens is alarming. Investigation of novel antibiotics, usage of combination therapy and usage according to the standard antimicrobial susceptibility testing may help to decrease or prevent the emergence of antibiotic resistance.