Bloodstream Infections in Pediatric Oncology Patients: Bacterial Pathogen Distribution and Antimicrobial Susceptibility at the University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Croatia—A 5-year Analysis

Abstract

The epidemiology of bacterial pathogens causing bloodstream infections (BSIs) in pediatric hematology/oncology patients is changing and resistance to antimicrobial agents is globally spread. We retrospectively assessed demographic, clinical, and microbiologic data of BSIs during a 5-year period at a pediatric hematology/oncology unit from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2021, at the University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia. In 66 pediatric patients with malignancies, 93 BSI episodes were registered and 97 bacterial isolates were cultured. The Gram-positive versus Gram-negative ratio was 67 (69.1%) versus 30 (30.9%). Coagulase-negative staphylococci (48; 49.6%) were the most frequent isolates, followed by Enterobacterales (17; 17.5%) and Staphylococcus aureus (6; 6.2%). Multidrug resistance isolates included extended spectrum β-lactamase producers (n=3). Resistance rates to piperacillin/tazobactam, cefepime, and meropenem in Gram-negative isolates were 15.4%, 14.3%, and 0.0%, respectively. Gram-positive bacteria are the most common cause of BSI in our patients. Resistance rates to piperacillin/tazobactam and cefepime in Gram-negative isolates make meropenem a better choice for empirical antimicrobial treatment. As national and hospital data may differ, the surveillance of pathogen distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility in pediatric hematology/oncology wards is necessary to adjust empirical treatment accordingly.