Common bacterial and fungal infections as a challenging condition In cancer patients : Single centre based study

Background: Cancer patients are at an increasing risk of developing infections that increase morbidity and mortality. The present study aimed to identify different pathogens isolated from infected cancer patients with evaluating the anti-microbial susceptibility pattern of bacterial isolates. Methods: 228 samples were collected from infected cancer patients. Bacteriological and fungal examinations were performed using standard methods. Bactec FX40 system was used for blood samples. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were conducted according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Results: The majority of samples revealed single pathogens with a predominance of Gram-negative bacteria (46%). Escherichia coli (E. coli) spp. was the most frequently isolated pathogen, followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) and Staphylococcus aureus (Staph. aureus). Candida albicans isolated from the majority of fungal infections. About 62.7% of bacterial isolates were multi-drug resistant with predominance of E. coli spp., K. pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus. About 40% of isolated Gram-negative bacteria were Carbapenem-resistant (CR) with predominance of CR K. pneumoniae. 74.2% of Staphylococcus aureus were MRSA, 13% were VRSA and 40% of Enterococci were VRE. Escherichia coli spp., K. pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus represented the majority of MDROs with 22.5%, 21.6% and 20.7% respectively, while K. pneumoniae represented the majority of PDROs with 44.4%. Patient hospitalization and the presence of medical devices were risk factors with positive culture results. Conclusions: High rate of Infection was detected among cancer patients with a predominance of MDROs. The regular revision of the antimicrobial policy based on microbiological data can reduce MDRO in cancer patients.