Aerobic bacteria study, clinical spectrum, and outcome of patients with community-acquired multidrug-resistant pathogens.

Abstract

Infectious diseases are the leading cause of death in developing countries like India. Hence, even small relative increases in the mortality rate for infections due to multidrug-resistant pathogens would lead to substantial increases in the number of deaths as a result of infections worldwide. The aim of the study was to study the microbiological data of community-acquired pathogens and the corresponding outcomes due to antibiotic-resistant versus antibiotic-susceptible bacterial microorganisms. A single-center prospective cohort study for two years undertaken during the study period of March 2022 to 31 October 2023. All clinical samples of 402 patients diagnosed microbiologically as community-acquired infections were included. Culture samples were collected and processed according to standard operating procedures and clinical details were recorded. Categorical variables were expressed as counts and percentages. Fisher's exact test was used for testing differences in proportions. Two-sided distribution <i>P</i> values of <0.05 were considered significant. Among Gram-positive organisms, <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> and <i>Streptococcus pyogenes</i> were predominant isolates. <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Klebsiella</i> species were the majority of the pathogens among Gram-negative isolates. Mortality rates observed in community-acquired respiratory tract infections (CA-RTIs), community-acquired urinary tract infections (CA-UTIs), community-acquired skin and soft tissue infections (CA-SSTIs), and community-acquired bloodstream infections (CA-BSIs) were 13.6%, 6.56%, 4.5%, and 31.5%, respectively. The length of hospital stay of more than three days was found as 56.06%, 36.2%, 40.9%, and 73.6% in CA-RTIs, CA-UTIs, CA-SSTIs, and CA-BSIs, respectively. Performing cultures earlier during hospitalization and determining the timing of colonization can allow more targeted choices and reduce morbidity and mortality rates among infected patients.