OBJECTIVE: To determine the rate of asymptomatic colonization with Multi-Drug Resistant (MDR) bacteria and the frequency of each organism in patients transferred to An-Najah National University Hospital.

METHODS: Patients transferred from other hospitals were screened on admission by taking nasal, groin and axillaries swabs in the period extending from January until December 2015. Swabs were cultured and assessed for the presence of MDR bacteria: Extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producers, P. aeroginosae, Acinetobcter baumannii, Methecillin Resistant S. aureus (MRSA), Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus (VRE) and Carbapenem Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE).

RESULTS: The overall number of patients who were screened was 822. Approximately 394 MDROs were isolated from 265 patients with a colonization rate of (32.2%). The highest number of isolated MDROs was in January and the lowest was in May. Approximately 33.2% (131) ESBL-producers, 30.2% (119) P. aeroginosae, 9.1% (36) Acinetobcter baumannii, 23.9% (94) Methecillin Resistant S. aureus (MRSA), 3.3% (13) Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus (VRE) and 0.3% (1) Carbapenem Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) were isolated.

CONCLUSION: A national strategy for the prevention and control of multi-drug resistant organisms should be developed, taking local epidemiology into consideration in all Palestinian healthcare facilities.

Conference Title

he Lancet Palestinian Health Alliance (LPHA) Eighth Annual Conference

Conference Country

Palestine

Conference Date

March 15, 2017 - March 16, 2017

Conference Sponsor

Birzeit University

Additional Info

Conference Website