Researchers examined the sources and antibiotic resistance profiles of 250 healthcare-associated E. coli bloodstream infections that occurred within a secondary and tertiary care hospital group from April 2014 to March 2017.
The study shows that E. coli bloodstream infections increased 9 percent from 4 to 4.4 per 10,000 admissions from the 2014-15 to the 2016-17 financial years.
Researchers found
• 36 percent of the infections had a urinary source, of which 34 percent were classified as urinary catheter-associated urinary tract infections
• 18 percent were related to febrile neutropenia
• 15 percent had a gastrointestinal source
Additionally, cases were rarely associated with surgical procedures (4 percent) or indwelling vascular devices (3 percent).
“The gastrointestinal tract and febrile neutropenia together accounted for one-third of E. coli BSI locally but were rare associations nationally,” study authors concluded. “These sources need to be targeted locally to reduce an increasing trend of E. coli [bloodstream infections].”
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