Susceptibility of enterobacteria to antibiotics in intensive care units. Antibiotherapy of intensive care patients is usually undocumented

Antibiotic therapy of intensive care patients is usually undocumented. The treatment is chosen according to epidemiologic and susceptibility data from microbiological laboratories. The aim of our study is to determine antibio tic susceptibility of enterobacteria isolated from intensive care patients during a five-month multicenter study in 18 French hospitals. Numerous (n = 1,113) strains were studied 447 enterobacteria isolated from urine (n = 22 9), blood cultures (n = 106), respiratory tract specimens (n = 72), periton eal fluids (n = 22), pus (n = 15) and catheters (n = 2). MICs of group 2 an d group 3 enterobacteria were determined using the dilution agar method and were interpreted according to the CASFM (Comite de I'antibiogramme de la s ociete francaise de microbiologie) recommendations. Group I enterobacteria were most frequently isolated (67%). Only one Escherichia coil strain produ ced ESBL (0.3%). Among group 2 enterobacteria, one Citrobacter koseri strai n produced ESBL. We did not isolate Klebsiella pneumoniae ESBL. Isolation o f group 3 enterobacteria was frequent (24%). Thirty-five percent of group 3 enterobacteria were resistant to cefotaxime, 26% to ceftazidime and 16% to cefepime and cefpirome. Fourteen strains of this group produced ESBL: 13 E nterobacter aerogenes and one E, amnigenus. (C) 2000 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.