Prevalence of bacteremia and antimicrobial resistance profile in patients in South Morocco

Bacteremia is a major cause of hospital morbidity and mortality. Effective management depends on up-to-date knowledge of the bacteriological profile and antibiotic resistance. This retrospective descriptive study, carried out over three years (2022-2024) at the Avicenne Military Hospital in Marrakech, analyzed strains isolated from positive blood cultures. Of 1,480 blood cultures received, 142 (9.6%) were actually positive. Analysis revealed a predominance of Staphylococcus aureus (21.3%), followed by Escherichia coli (13.9%), Klebsiella spp (12.7%), and Acinetobacter baumannii (9.3%). Enterobacteriaceae accounted for 41.78% of isolates, with a high proportion of ESBL strains (38.3%) and 2.8% of carbapenemase-producing strains. The highest rates of resistance were to amoxicillin (78.5%), amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (61%), and fluoroquinolones (43.3%). A. baumannii showed a worrying multi-resistance profile, with exclusive sensitivity to colistin. These results underline the importance of microbiological surveillance and rationalization of antibiotic therapy.