The clinical manifestations and distribution and resistance of pathogens among liver transplantation with infections caused by non-fermenters: a clinical analysis of 31 patients.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To investigate the clinical manifestations and determine the distribution and the characteristics of drug susceptibility of pathogens, and provide evidence for clinical anti-infection treatments among liver transplantation with infections due to non-fermenters.

METHODOLOGY

Retrospective analysis to the pathogens and their drug susceptibility characteristics was carried out. We also collected these patients' clinical and laboratory data to identify the clinical manifestations.

RESULTS

Fifty two episodes of infections due to non-fermenters occurred in 31 patients. The rods causing bacteremias accounted for 46.2% of all non-fermenters (24/52). The most common non-fermenter was Acinetobacter baumannii (21 isolates, 40.4%). There were 12 deaths in these 31 recipients (48.9%). A total of 12 (25%) episodes of infections were accompanied with septic shock. Antibiotic resistance rate of all non-fermenters to 8 of 12 antibiotics investigated was more than 60%. The rods were relatively sensitive to cefoperazone/sulbactam.

CONCLUSIONS

The clinical manifestations of infections due to non-fermenters included high body temperature, decreased platelet count, elevated white blood cell count, onset in the early period after transplantation as well as high rates of septic shock and mortality. The antibiotic resistant rate of non-fermenters was very high among liver transplant recipients.