FLORA INFEKSIYON HASTALIKLARI VE KLINIK MIKROBIYOLOJI DERGISI, cilt.27, ss.209-217, 2022 (ESCI)
Introduction: Elizabethkingia meningoseptica is an emerging gram-negative opportunistic nosocomial pathogen reported in immuno-compromised patients. We aimed to report an outbreak of E. meningoseptica acquisition in the intensive care units (ICUs) of a training and research hospital in Turkey and highlight the infection control measures.Materials and Methods: Bacterial strains were determined using MALDI Biotyper (Bruker Daltonics, Bremen, Germany) minimum inhibitor concentrations were examined using MicroScan automatized system.Results were determined according to the CLSI guide-lines. Environmental cultures were obtained and investigated for the presence of E. meningoseptica. Clonal relationships among E. meningoseptica strains were investigated using PFGE. Results: Isolates were obtained from nine critically ill patients' clinical samples. All strains were resistant to tested antibiotics (amika-cin, Amox/Clav, cefepime, cefotaxime, ceftzidime, cefuroxime, ertapenem, gentamycin, meropenem, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX), imipenem) except for levofloxacin (8/9), ciprofloxacin (5/9), and piperacillin/tazobactam. PFGE indicated that the strains involved in the outbreak were closely related.Conclusion: Intrinsically multiple drug-resistant Elizabethkingia spp. isolates can be a common life-threatening pathogen in ICUs in our country, and prevention is possible through early notification of small-scale outbreaks and necessary infection control measures.