Bloodstream Infection Pathogen Profiles in ICU and Non-ICU Patients in a Tertiary Hospital in Southern Anhui, China

Bloodstream infection (BSI) is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality, particularly in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. We retrospectively analyzed 723 adults with blood culture-confirmed BSI from January 2025 to March 2026, including 253 ICU and 470 non-ICU patients, and compared clinical characteristics, infection sources, invasive procedures, pathogen distribution, antimicrobial use, resistance phenotypes, and antimicrobial susceptibility. ICU patients had higher rates of septic shock and in-hospital mortality and more frequent catheter-related and lower respiratory tract infections and invasive procedures. Gram-negative bacteria predominated in both groups, with Escherichia coli ranking first. Coagulase-negative staphylococci, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Enterococcus spp. accounted for larger proportions in ICU patients. Special-use antimicrobial use, particularly carbapenem use, was higher in the ICU. Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were significantly more frequent in ICU patients, whose major Gram-negative isolates also showed broader resistance profiles. These findings support care-setting-specific pathogen and resistance surveillance to inform empirical antimicrobial therapy, antimicrobial stewardship, and infection-control strategies.