Original Articles
Evolution of Antimicrobial Resistance in Community vs. Hospital-Acquired Infections
Ayman M. Mustafa, Rawezh Q. Salih, Hidayat A. Yaseen, Wafa A. Hamadameen, Suhaib H. Kakamad, Fakher Abdullah, Karokh K. Mohammed, Dyari Q. Hamad and 7 more
IntroductionHospitals are high-risk environments for infections. Despite the global recognition of these pathogens, few studies compare microorganisms from community-acquired and hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). This study compares these microorganisms and explores their relationship with patients' comorbidities and socio-demographic factors.
MethodsThis retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at Smart Health Tower, Iraq, from January to December 2023, focusing on patients with community-acquired infections and HAIs. Data were extracted from microbiology laboratory records, including blood cultures, urine samples, and other body fluids, with patients classified based on CDC and IDSA guidelines. Bacterial identification combined conventional methods and the BD Phoenix™ M50 system, while antibiotic susceptibility was tested using the Kirby-Bauer method and the same automated system. Statistical analysis of resistance patterns utilized SPSS version 25, with significance set at p ≤ 0.05.
ResultsIn this study of 2,157 participants, 1,303 (60.4%) were male, with microbial growth observed in 1,177 cases (54.6%). Notably, 41.1% of females and 52.1% of males showed no growth (p < 0.001). The mean age was 43.62 ± 23.3 years. Wound samples had the highest growth rate (91.2%), while body fluids had the lowest (33.0%) (p < 0.001). The overall multidrug resistance rates were 62.5% for community-acquired infections and 79.3% for HAIs. Patients with pre-existing comorbidities demonstrated significantly higher rates of hospital-acquired infections (p < 0.05).
ConclusionMultidrug-resistant isolates are more prevalent in HAIs than in community-acquired infections, highlighting the need for enhanced surveillance to optimize antibiotic use and control HAIs through early detection of resistance.
Keywords Hospital-acquired
· Community-acquired
· Antimicrobial resistance
· Prevalence
· Multidrug resistance
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