Background: Cancer patients are highly susceptible to bacterial infections due to immunosuppressionfrom malignancy and treatment, which significantly increases morbidity, mortality, and hospital stays. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted at Benghazi Medical Center, Libya,between January 2023 and December 2024. Clinical specimens from 188 cancer patients withconfirmed infections were processed using the VITEK 2 system, and antimicrobial susceptibility wasinterpreted according to CLSI standards. Results: A total of 227 bacterial isolates were recovered: 159 (70.0%) Gram-negative and 68 (30.0%)Gram-positive. The most common Gram-negative pathogens were Klebsiella spp. (31.4%),Pseudomonas aeruginosa (25.2%), and Escherichia coli (23.9%), while Staphylococcus aureusconstituted 48.5% of Gram-positive isolates. Bloodstream infections were the most frequent (36.7%),followed by respiratory tract infections (27.1%) and urinary tract infections (17.6%). Solid tumorpatients had more bloodstream infections (38.9%), while respiratory infections were slightly morecommon in hematologic malignancy patients (27.0%). ESBL production was observed in 52.0% ofKlebsiella spp. and 50.0% of E. coli. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) accounted for 39.4% ofisolates, with all Gram-positive isolates remaining susceptible to vancomycin. The overall mortalitywas 40.0%, with Neutropenia significantly associated with poor outcomes. Conclusion: Multidrug-resistant bacterial infections, particularly ESBL-producing Gram-negativeorganisms and MRSA, are prevalent among cancer patients in Libya. Strengthened infection control,antimicrobial stewardship, and targeted empirical therapy are crucial to reduce morbidity andmortality.
Attitalla et al. (Sun,) studied this question.