Skip to main content
Advertisement
Browse Subject Areas
?

Click through the PLOS taxonomy to find articles in your field.

For more information about PLOS Subject Areas, click here.

  • Loading metrics

Multi-drug resistant bacteria predict mortality in bloodstream infection in a tertiary setting in Tanzania

Abstract

Background

Bloodstream infections (BSI) are serious and life-threatening, associated with high mortality and morbidity. In resource-limited settings, there is a paucity of data on predictors of outcome in patients with BSI. This study aimed at examining the predictors of mortality in patients with BSI as well as bacteria causing BSI.

Methods and materials

This was a cross-sectional study conducted at Muhimbili National Hospital between April and May 2018. Blood culture results from all inpatients at the clinical microbiology laboratory were recorded and clinical information was retrieved retrospectively from the files. Bacteria from positive blood culture were identified and antimicrobial susceptibility was performed.

Results

The overall prevalence of BSI was, 46/402 (11.4% 95% CI 8.6–15), with a case fatality rate of 37%. There was a significantly high rate of BSI in patients who had died (19.5%) compared to those who survived (9.2%) p = 0.008. Gram-negative bacteria (74%) were the common cause of BSI, with a predominance of Enterobacteriaceae (22), followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (11). The majority of bacteria (70.5%) isolated from patients with BSI were Multi-drug resistant (MDR). Forty-six percent of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were resistant to meropenem while 68% (15/22) of Enterobacteriaceae were extended-spectrum β lactamase producers. Carbapenemase production was detected in 27% (3/11) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and one Proteus mirabilis. Forty percent of Staphylococcus aureus were methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Positive blood culture (aOR 2.24, 95%CI 1.12–4.47, p 0.02) and admission to the intensive care unit (aOR 3.88, 95%CI 1.60–9.41, p = 0.003) were independent factors for mortality in suspected BSI. Isolation of MDR bacteria was an independent predictor for mortality in confirmed BSI (aOR 15.62, 95%CI 1.24–161.38, p = 0.02).

Conclusion

The prevalence of BSI was 11.4%, with the majority of bacteria in BSI were MDR. Positive blood culture, admission to the ICU and MDR were predictors for mortality.

Introduction

Bloodstream infection (BSI) is life-threatening not only associated with increased mortality, and morbidity but also health care costs [1]. Often, MDR bacteria causing BSI are associated with poor patient outcome compared to susceptible bacteria [2, 3]. The incidence and prevalence of BSI vary considerably between developed and developing countries [46]. Nevertheless, the epidemiology of BSI in both community and hospital settings is evolving. Besides, data on the rapid changing bacterial etiology of BSI in Tanzania is scarce.

Treatment of BSI in the resource-limited setting is largely empirical using broad-spectrum antibiotics. Empiric treatments often fail to target the correct pathogens, leading to treatment failures and increasing mortality [1, 7]. To address these, clinical microbiology laboratories may play important roles in the effective management of BSI. Prompt reporting of results coupled with identifying critical values and antibiogram pattern provided by laboratories facilitate the successful management of patients with BSI. Elsewhere, factors predicting mortality in BSI have been investigated [2, 8] but few data exist in Tanzania.

The increasing burden of hospital-acquired BSI caused by Multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens including extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) have been previously observed in Tanzania [3]. However, in a world of rapidly evolving bacteria pathogens, repeated surveillance is warranted for improving the management of BSI. Our study aimed at identifying the current bacterial etiology and predictors of mortality in BSI.

Materials and methods

Study design and setting

This was a cross-sectional study conducted at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) between April and May 2018. MNH is the largest tertiary hospital in Tanzania, serving approximately 6 million people from Dar es Salaam. It has a 1500 bed capacity, attending approximately 1200 inpatients per week and approximately 1200 outpatients per day. MNH is also a training facility for the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences and the main referral hospital in Tanzania.

Study population

The study included all inpatients with clinical features suggestive of BSI, from whom blood specimens for culture were processed at MNH Clinical Microbiology Laboratory.

Data collection

A structured data collection tool was used to record results of blood culture, colonial morphology, Gram stain, isolates identity and antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST). Demographic characteristics such as sex, age, and other patients’ information were extracted from patient request forms. Patients’ clinical outcomes were retrieved from the patient's clinical case notes.

Blood culture and bacterial identification

Blood was collected by the attending clinician into blood culture bottles for adult (BD BACTEC Plus Aerobic /F Culture Vials, Becton Dickinson and Company) and pediatric (BD BACTEC Peds PlusTM/F Culture Vials, Becton Dickinson and Company) and used for culture. Upon reaching the laboratory, blood culture bottles were inspected for acceptance criteria. Blood culture vials were incubated into the BD BACTEC FX40 analyzer for a maximum of five days.

Primary Gram stain was performed on positive cultures followed by subculture on appropriate solid culture media. A single drop of blood was inoculated into 5% sheep blood agar (SBA) and MacConkey agar (MCA), then incubated at 37°C with 5–10% CO2 and 37°C respectively for 18–24 hours. Bacteria were initially identified by colony morphology and Gram stain. Gram-positive cocci were further identified by a set of biochemical tests including, catalase test, coagulase, DNase, Staphaurex (Remel Europe Ltd, Dartford, UK), Streptococcus grouping kit (Remel Europe Ltd, Dartford, UK). Gram-negative rods were further identified by API20 E and API20 NE (Biomerieux, France).

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing

Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method was used to test antimicrobial susceptibility following Clinical and Laboratory Institute guidelines [CLSI] [9]. Antibiotics included in susceptibility testing were those commonly used in our settings for the management of BSI and few reserved for severe bacterial infections.

MDR was defined as resistance to at least one antibiotic in three or more antimicrobial classes [10]. Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was determined by the disc diffusion method using cefoxitin disk (30μg) (Oxoid, UK) as previously described [9]. ESBL production in Enterobacteriaceae was detected as described previously [9]. Carbapenemase production in Gram-negative bacteria was screened using a combination disk method whereby meropenem disk (10μg) alone and a combination of meropenem disk (10μg) with dipicolinic acid (DPA) 1000μg. An increase of zone diameter for 5 mm or more around combined meropenem disk and DPA, as compared with the disk of meropenem alone, was considered to be a positive result [11].

The following reference strains were used for quality control: Escherichia coli (E. coli) ATCC 25922, Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 700603 for ESBL, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 for MRSA and Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 1705 and Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 1706 for carbapenemase resistance.

Data analysis

Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS Version 25.0 (Armonk, NY: IBM Corp). Descriptive analysis for categorical variables was summarized in the form of frequencies and percentages. The comparison within variables was performed using the Chi-square test or Fisher´s exact test to observe the proportion differences. Binary univariate regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with mortality. All variables with p < 0.2 at univariate analysis were further analyzed in multivariate binary regression to identify independent factors associated with mortality. P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Ethical approval

Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Senate Research and Publication Committee, the Institutional Review Board of the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Science. Permission to conduct the study at Muhimbili National Hospital was granted by executive director. Informed consent was waived by ethical committee and Muhimbili National Hospital, because the study was retrospective and they were no direct contact with patients.

Results

Description of the study participants

A total of 402 specimens for blood cultures were included in the study. The majority (39.3%) were obtained from patients aging 1–14 years and 235 (58.5%) were from males. Most blood cultures (40.8%) were from pediatric wards while 16.9% (68/402) were from patients admitted in intensive care unit (ICU). More than half (57.7%) had a history of antibiotic use prior to blood culture. Ceftriaxone was the most commonly used antibiotic, followed by meropenem. A total of 87(21.6%) patients died during the study period (Table 1).

thumbnail
Table 1. Demographic and clinical characteristics of study participants.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0220424.t001

Rate of laboratory confirmed bloodstream infections

There were 402 participants with blood culture included in the study, 11.4% (46/402) (95% CI 8.6–15) had culture-positive BSI, and 17 of these patients died (case fatality rate was 37%). The rate of culture-positive BSI was slightly higher in females (12%, 20/167) than in males (11.1%, (26/235). There was no statistically significant difference in the rate of BSI in the neonates (15.1%, 8/53), children aged 1–14 years (7.6%, 12/158), patients aged 15–46 years (13.3%, 15/113) and patients aged more than 46 years (14.1%, 11/78), p = 0.3. Patients admitted to the ICU had a higher incidence of BSI (17.6%, 12/68) compared to those admitted to the pediatric (8.5%, 14/164), surgical (8.9%, 7/79) and medical ward (14.3%, 13/91) p = 0.2. There was a significantly high rate of culture-positive BSI in deceased patients (19.5%) compared to those that survived (9.2%), p = 0.008.

Bacterial isolates and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern

A total of 46 pathogens were isolated from blood cultures. The majority (74%) were Gram-negative bacteria, of which Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the most common accounting for 23.9% each. Acinetobacter baumannii and Salmonella Typhi accounted for one isolate each. Staphylococcus aureus was only Gram-positive bacteria isolated accounting for 10 isolates and Candida albicans contributed 2 isolates. (Fig 1). Antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed for 43 bacterial isolates to determine susceptibility patterns. The majority of isolates (70.5%, 31/44) were MDR. We found patients who used antibiotics prior to blood culture were at increased risk for isolation of MDR bacteria (OR 4.86, 95% CI 1.14–20.70, p = 0.03) compared to those who did not use antibiotics (Table 2)

thumbnail
Table 2. Factors for isolation of multidrug resistant bacteria in confirmed Bloodstream infection.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0220424.t002

Sixty-eight percent (68.2%, 15/22) of Enterobacteriaceae were ESBL producers; and were likely to be MDR bacteria compared to non-ESBL producers (aOR = 53.81, 95%CI 2.64–1095.73, p 0.01). (Table 2) Enterobacteriaceae displayed high rates of resistance to multiple antibiotics tested as presented in Table 3. Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed over 60% to 100% of resistance to commonly prescribed antibiotics including gentamicin (73%), ceftriaxone (100%), cefotaxime (100%), ceftazidime (70%) and ciprofloxacin (64%). (Table 3). Remarkably, 46% of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were resistant to meropenem; furthermore, 27% (3/11) of them were carbapenemase producers. Resistance to piperacillin-tazobactam uncommonly used antibiotics was observed in 25% of E. coli, 20% of Klebsiella pneumoniae as well as 46% of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Staphylococcus aureus displayed high resistance to ciprofloxacin (70%), Penicillin (80%) and erythromycin (70%); besides, (40%) of Staphylococcus aureus was MRSA. Proteus mirabilis and Acinetobacter baumannii were 100% resistant to all antibiotics tested.

thumbnail
Table 3. Antimicrobial resistance pattern of bacteria isolated from patients with BSI at MNH.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0220424.t003

Predictors of mortality in bloodstream infection

In univariate analysis, patients with positive blood culture were two times more likely to die compared to those with negative blood culture (cOR 2.39, 95%CI 1.25–4.60, p = 0.009). Patients aged more than 14 years suspected of BSI were at increased risk of mortality compared to those below (cOR 2.26, 95% 1.38–3.69, p = 0.001). Patients suspected of BSI admitted to the surgical ward (cOR 2.61, 95%CI 1.32–5.18, p = 0.006) and ICU (cOR 2.57, 95%CI 2.57–9.87, p < 0.001) were at increased risk of mortality compared to those admitted to the medical ward. Patients admitted for stroke/post-surgery/Diabetes mellitus were at higher risk of death (cOR 2.26, 95%CI 1.08–4.72, p = 0.03) compared to those admitted with other underlying diseases. BSI with MDR bacteria were found to predict mortality (cOR 6.1, 95%CI 1.2–31.6, p = 0.03) compared to non-MDR infection (Table 4).

thumbnail
Table 4. Predictors of Mortality in Patients with suspected and confirmed Bloodstream infection.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0220424.t004

Applying multivariate analysis, the result of blood culture, location of admission and status MDR was found to be independent risk factors for mortality in patients suspected of BSI. Patients with positive bacteria blood culture were twice as likely to die versus blood culture-negative patients (aOR 2.24, 95%CI 1.12–4.47, p 0.02). Admission to the ICU remained an independent risk factor for mortality with 4 times the risk of mortality compared to admission to the pediatric wards (aOR 3.88, 95%CI 1.60–9.41, p = 0.003). The presence of MDR bacteria was found to be an independent predictor for mortality with 16 times odds of dying compared to non-MDR bacterial infection (aOR 15.62, 95%CI 1.24–161.38, p = 0.02) (Table 4).

Discussion

In this study conducted at a tertiary hospital setting, we found a slightly lower (11.4%) prevalence of BSI compared to previous findings at the same facility [1, 12]. However, our study observed a significantly high case fatality rate of 37%. Reports from various study populations have reported different prevalence rates of BSI [1, 4, 5, 1216]. Blomberg et al. found a prevalence of 13.9% among admitted children at the same hospital [1]. Likewise, Moyo et al. reported a prevalence of 13.4% among all patients of different age groups at the same hospital [12]. Moyo et al included coagulase-negative Staphylococcus as the true pathogens in the analysis, which were not considered in our study. One important limitation of our study was the inclusion of patients that had used antibiotics before blood culture, this might explain the low rate of BSIs observed. A fraction of the negative cultures might have been false negatives. Also, we did not include anaerobic culture this might have excluded anaerobic bacteria, although these usually are low in number, compared to the aerobes. We propose in designing studies on BSI, efforts should be made to include catchment settings, where patients might not be exposed to antibiotics and include anaerobic culture. Another important caveat was the short duration of our study, which could have affected the prevalence observed. The prevalence of BSI may vary to geographical location, seasonality and population studied [5, 17, 18]. However, we tried to include all blood cultures processed during the study period and we had a reasonable sample size. Further research should be done over long time periods and different study populations to address other confounding factors.

As expected, patients admitted in ICU suspected with BSI had a higher risk of mortality compared to those admitted in non-ICU wards. This finding is in line with other earlier studies on risk factors for BSI [6, 8]. We observed that unlike patients admitted in non-ICU, patients in ICU were likely to have more severe underlying diseases. This observation could explain the observed high mortality. In these circumstances, our findings suggest prompt investigation in suspected BSI in ICU and appropriate antibiotic use guided by laboratory results. Previous studies have also highlighted the positive impact of prompt blood culture [4, 19].

Our study observed that positive bacterial blood culture was an independent laboratory predictor for mortality in patients suspected of BSI. A similar finding was also observed in previous studies from developing countries in the neonate [20], children [13], and adults [2]. This finding emphasizes the importance of blood culture in suspected BSI. It also highlights the role of the laboratory in prompt notifying clinicians when blood culture is positive as it could guide early choices of empiric antibiotics for better treatment outcomes. Besides, when the pathogen is identified and susceptibility results are available, the clinician needs to be alerted for them to adjust/de-escalation dosages of antibiotics. With the overall BSI case fatality rate of 37%, further study needs to be performed to evaluate the impact of laboratory prompt notification of results.

Infection due to MDR bacteria was an independent predictor of mortality in our study. This finding was comparable to previous studies in Africa and elsewhere [2, 18]. Treatment of these infections is very difficult and carries poor prognosis as bacteria are resistant to all available antibiotics’ options. Patients infected with MDR pathogens were supposed to receive reserve antibiotics like vancomycin, carbapenems or colistin; unfortunately, they are expensive and unavailable in our settings. Although performing and reporting phenotypic AST and defining MDR pathogens remain crucial for patients care, it is often not done in our settings. Our finding justifies the need for a clinical microbiology laboratory to notify and discuss with clinicians whenever they isolate MDR bacterium. Also, clinical microbiologists and infectious disease specialists need to work hand in hand in the management of MDR infected patients.

The current study observed that bacteria causing BSI were highly resistant to most antibiotics commonly used in our setting. The trend of resistance was comparable to resistance patterns observed in previous studies in the same setting [1, 12] and other hospital-associated infections [21]. Persistent high rates of resistance at our setting could be accounted for by increasingly empirical use of antibiotics; in most cases imprudent use of antibiotics. As observed in our study, antibiotic use before blood culture was an increased risk for isolation of MDR bacteria, similar to previous literature [22]. However, one weakness of this study is its restriction on current hospital use of antibiotics to assess risk factors for MDR bacteria. Recent publications highlight colonization by resistant bacteria due to antibiotic exposure prior to hospitalization; increase the risk of MDR infections [2325]. We suggest that evaluation/audit of antibiotic use outside of health facilities (including illegal acquisition of antibiotics without a prescription) is also needed, to determine risk factors for future drug-resistant infections. The finding high rates of resistant bacteria causing BSI in Tanzania provide an opportunity for revising current practice on the management of BSI. Lately, the clinical microbiology laboratory does not produce an annual AMR report, to guide the clinician in an empiric antibiotic prescription. We strongly recommend the clinical microbiology laboratory to regularly produce local AMR reports.

The study revealed 68.2% of Enterobacteriaceae were ESBL producers. Blomberg et al. reported high rates of genotypic confirmed ESBL producing Enterobacteriaceae in children with BSI at the same hospital that predicted mortality [3]. Similarly, high rates of ESBL producing pathogens have been reported at the same hospital from clinical isolates of urine [26] and surgical site infections [21]. Beside ESBL, we also observed MRSA and phenotypic carbapenemase production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteus mirabilis. Carbapenemase-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa has also been reported previously at our hospital [27]. It is worrying to note the growing resistance to carbapenems, which is the last effective therapy for severe Gram-negative infections. As observed in earlier studies, ESBL, MRSA, and carbapenemase-producing isolates carry a very poor prognosis and associated with increased health care costs [3, 20]. The findings warrant the need for a clinical microbiology laboratory to enforce the policy of detecting and reporting resistant pathogens. If enforced, it will help in the early detection of an outbreak due to these pathogens.

Conclusion

The overall prevalence of BSI was 11.4%, and 17 of patients died (case fatality rate was 37%). The majority of the bacteria isolated from BSI were MDR. Admission to the ICU and positive blood culture were independently associated with mortality in suspected BSI. MDR bacteria were an independent predictor for mortality in confirmed BSI.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the management of Muhimbili National Hospital for the support on reagents, supplies and other consumables that were used in the study.

References

  1. 1. Blomberg B, Manji KP, Urassa WK, Tamim BS, Mwakagile DS, Jureen R, et al. Antimicrobial resistance predicts death in Tanzanian children with bloodstream infections: a prospective cohort study. BMC Infect Dis. 2007;7:43. pmid:17519011
  2. 2. Seboxa T, Amogne W, Abebe W, Tsegaye T, Azazh A, Hailu W, et al. High Mortality from Bloodstream Infection in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Is Due to Antimicrobial Resistance. PloS one. 2015;10(12):e0144944. pmid:26670718
  3. 3. Blomberg B, Jureen R, Manji KP, Tamim BS, Mwakagile DS, Urassa WK, et al. High rate of fatal cases of pediatric septicemia caused by gram-negative bacteria with extended-spectrum beta-lactamases in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. J Clin Microbiol. 2005;43(2):745–9. pmid:15695674
  4. 4. Boyles TH, Davis K, Crede T, Malan J, Mendelson M, Lesosky M. Blood cultures taken from patients attending emergency departments in South Africa are an important antibiotic stewardship tool, which directly influences patient management. BMC Infect Dis. 2015;15:410. pmid:26437651
  5. 5. Negussie A, Mulugeta G, Bedru A, Ali I, Shimeles D, Lema T, et al. Bacteriological Profile and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Pattern of Blood Culture Isolates among Septicemia Suspected Children in Selected Hospitals Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Int J Biol Med Res. 2015;6(1):4709–17. pmid:26997847
  6. 6. Laupland KB, Zygun DA, Davies HD, Church DL, Louie TJ, Doig CJ. Population-based assessment of intensive care unit-acquired bloodstream infections in adults: Incidence, risk factors, and associated mortality rate. Crit Care Med. 2002;30(11):2462–7. pmid:12441755
  7. 7. Crichton H, O'Connell N, Rabie H, Whitelaw AC, Dramowski A. Neonatal and paediatric bloodstream infections: Pathogens, antimicrobial resistance patterns and prescribing practice at Khayelitsha District Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa. S Afr Med J. 2018;108(2):99–104. pmid:29429440
  8. 8. Snyder BM, Montague BT, Anandan S, Madabhushi AG, Pragasam AK, Verghese VP, et al. Risk factors and epidemiologic predictors of bloodstream infections with New Delhi Metallo-b-lactamase (NDM-1) producing Enterobacteriaceae. Epidemiol Infect. 2019;147:e137. pmid:30869056
  9. 9. Clinical and laboratory standard institute: Performance Standards for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing; Twenty-eighth Informational Supplement CLSI Document M100–S20. Wayne, PA: Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute; 2018.
  10. 10. Magiorakos AP, Srinivasan A, Carey RB, Carmeli Y, Falagas ME, Giske CG, et al. Multidrug-resistant, extensively drug-resistant and pan drug-resistant bacteria: an international expert proposal for interim standard definitions for acquired resistance. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2012;18(3):268–81. pmid:21793988
  11. 11. Giske CG, Gezelius L, Samuelsen O, Warner M, Sundsfjord A, Woodford N. A sensitive and specific phenotypic assay for detection of metallo-beta-lactamases and KPC in Klebsiella pneumoniae with the use of meropenem disks supplemented with aminophenyl boronic acid, dipicolinic acid, and cloxacillin. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2011;17(4):552–6. pmid:20597925
  12. 12. Moyo S, Aboud S, Kasubi M, Maselle SY. Bacteria isolated from bloodstream infections at a tertiary hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania—antimicrobial resistance of isolates. S Afr Med J. 2010;100(12):835–8. pmid:21414278
  13. 13. Seni J, Mwakyoma AA, Mashuda F, Marando R, Ahmed M, DeVinney R, et al. Deciphering risk factors for bloodstream infections, bacteria species and antimicrobial resistance profiles among children under five years of age in North-Western Tanzania: a multicentre study in a cascade of referral health care system. BMC pediatrics. 2019;19(1):32. pmid:30684964
  14. 14. Ahmed M, Mirambo MM, Mushi MF, Hokororo A, Mshana SE. Bacteremia caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria among hospitalized malnourished children in Mwanza, Tanzania: a cross-sectional study. BMC research notes. 2017;10(1):62. pmid:28122629
  15. 15. Christopher A, Mshana SE, Kidenya BR, Hokororo A, Morona D. Bacteremia and resistant gram-negative pathogens among under-fives in Tanzania. Ital J Pediatr. 2013;39:27. pmid:23657136
  16. 16. Obeng-Nkrumah N, Labi AK, Addison NO, Labi JE, Awuah-Mensah G. Trends in paediatric and adult bloodstream infections at a Ghanaian referral hospital: a retrospective study. Ann Clin Microbiol Antimicrob. 2016;15(1):49. pmid:27539221
  17. 17. Sigauque B, Roca A, Mandomando I, Morais L, Quinto L, Sacarlal J, et al. Community-acquired bacteremia among children admitted to a rural hospital in Mozambique. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2009;28(2):108–13. pmid:19131902
  18. 18. Scheich S, Weber S, Reinheimer C, Wichelhaus TA, Hogardt M, Kempf VAJ, et al. Bloodstream infections with gram-negative organisms and the impact of multidrug resistance in patients with hematological malignancies. Ann hematol. 2018;97(11):2225–34. pmid:29974230
  19. 19. Lee CC, Lee CH, Hong MY, Tang HJ, Ko WC. Timing of appropriate empirical antimicrobial administration and outcome of adults with community-onset bacteremia. Crit Care. 2017;21(1):119. pmid:28545484
  20. 20. Kayange N, Kamugisha E, Mwizamholya DL, Jeremiah S, Mshana SE. Predictors of positive blood culture and deaths among neonates with suspected neonatal sepsis in a tertiary hospital, Mwanza-Tanzania. BMC pediatrics. 2010;10:39. pmid:20525358
  21. 21. Manyahi J, Matee MI, Majigo M, Moyo S, Mshana SE, Lyamuya EF. Predominance of multi-drug resistant bacterial pathogens causing surgical site infections in Muhimbili National Hospital, Tanzania. BMC research notes. 2014;7:500. pmid:25100042
  22. 22. Martin Jaramago J, Armero Ibanez R, Camarena Minana JJ, Morales Suarez-Varela M. Resistance profiles and risk factors of resistant microorganisms in bacteraemia of abdominal origin. Rev Esp Anestesiol Reanim. 2017;64(9):490–8. pmid:28434558
  23. 23. Goyal D, Dean N, Neill S, Jones P, Dascomb K. Risk Factors for Community-Acquired Extended-Spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae Infections-A Retrospective Study of Symptomatic Urinary Tract Infections. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2019;6(2):ofy357. pmid:30775401
  24. 24. Addo Smith JN, Yau R, Russo HP, Putney K, Restrepo A, Garey KW, et al. Bacteremia in Patients With Liver Cirrhosis: Prevalence and Predictors of Multidrug-Resistant Organisms. J Clin Gastroenterol. 2018;52(7):648–54. pmid:29176351
  25. 25. Moghnieh R, Estaitieh N, Mugharbil A, Jisr T, Abdallah DI, Ziade F, et al. Third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacteriaceae and multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria causing bacteremia in febrile neutropenia adult cancer patients in Lebanon, broad-spectrum antibiotics use as a major risk factor, and correlation with poor prognosis. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2015;5:11. pmid:25729741
  26. 26. Moyo SJ, Aboud S, Kasubi M, Lyamuya EF, Maselle SY. Antimicrobial resistance among producers and non-producers of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases in urinary isolates at a tertiary Hospital in Tanzania. BMC research notes. 2010;3:348. pmid:21184671
  27. 27. Moyo S, Haldorsen B, Aboud S, Blomberg B, Maselle SY, Sundsfjord A, et al. Identification of VIM-2-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa from Tanzania is associated with sequence types 244 and 640 and the location of blaVIM-2 in a TniC integron. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2015;59(1):682–5. pmid:25331700