ABSTRACT
Objective:To explore the resistance of common clinical isolates to chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) and the clinical characteristics of patients with the infections.Methods:A total of 1 000 isolates from the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University in 2018 (from January to May) were collected, which included 200 strains each of Escherichia coli ( E. coli), Acinetobacter baumanii ( A. baumanii), Pseudomonas aeruginosa ( P. aeruginosa), Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus), and Enterococcus spp.. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of CHG against 1 000 isolates were determined by the agar dilution method. The correlation between the resistance of isolates and clinical characteristics of infected patients was analyzed. Chi-square test or Fisher exact probability test were used for statistical analysis. Results:A total of 57 CHG resistant strains were detected in 1 000 clinical isolates. These CHG-resistant strains were mainly isolated from sputum and intensive care unit ward, accounting for 49.1%(28/57)and 38.6%(22/57), respectively. The resistance rates of P. aeruginosa, A. baumanii, Enterococcus spp., S. aureus, and E. coli to CHG were 16.0%(32/200), 7.0%(14/200), 3.0%(6/200), 1.5%(3/200) and 1.0%(2/200), respectively. The CHG-resistant rates of P. aeruginosa to ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin and gentamicin were 53.1%(17/32), 78.1%(25/32), 65.6%(21/32) and 50.0%(16/32), respectively, which were all higher than those of CHG-sensitive P. aeruginosa (25.0%(8/32), 25.0%(8/32), 21.9%(7/32) and 15.6%(5/32), respectively), with statistical significance ( χ2=5.317, 18.080, 12.444 and 8.576, respectively, all P<0.05). The hospital mortality was 22.8%(13/57) in patients infected with CHG-resistant bacteria, which was higher than that in patients infected with CHG-sensitive bacteria ((7.0%(4/57); Fisher exact probability test, P=0.018)). CHG-resistant group had a higher history of CHG exposure and antimicrobial treatment (61.4%(35/57) and 70.2%(40/57), respectively), which were both higher than those with CHG-susceptible isolates (17.5%(10/57) and 47.4%(27/57), respectively), the differences were both statistically significant ( χ2=22.947 and 6.118, respectively, both P<0.05). In addition, the multi-drug resistance rate of CHG-resistant strains was 54.4%(31/57), which was higher than that of CHG-susceptible strains (35.1%(20/57)), the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=4.293, P=0.039). Conclusions:CHG resistant strains have higher antimicrobial resistance. Hospital mortality in patients infected with CHG-resistant bacteria is higher than patients infected with CHG-sensitive bacteria. The important risk factors are CHG exposure and antimicrobial therapy.