Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in an intensive care unit

P. aeruginosa is a well-known cause of hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) in intensive care units (ICU). We conducted an epidemiologic and molecular investigation of endemic P. aeruginosa infection in an ICU. P. aeruginosa strains isolated from hospitalized patients and environmental samples in the ICU of the National Medical Center (NMC) were collected by the hospital infection laboratory of National Center for Disease Control and Public Health, October 2005 -April 2007. The antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolates in vitro was assessed by an agar disk diffusion method, as recommended by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. The antimicrobial susceptibility data were analyzed using WHONET software. Isolates resistant to cefepime, imipenem, aztreonam, ciprofloxacin, piperacillin, and gentamicin were defined as multidrug resistant (MDR).