RESUMO
Background and Aim: Citrobacter is a gram-negative, nonsporeforming, facultative anaerobic and motile bacillus within the family of Enterobacteriaceae and is ubiquitous in nature. This opportunistic pathogen causes a wide spectrum of infections. The aim of the present study was to examine the isolation of Citrobacter spp. from blood specimens in patients hospitalized in Kermanshah Imam Khomeini hospital and to determine the isolates sensitivity to antibiotics
Materials and Methods: This cross- sectional study was carried out on 2285 blood specimens collected from hospitalized patients between March 2012 and February 2012. In the beginning, the blood samples were inoculated in blood culture tubes media. The Citrobacter spp. isolates were identified and their identification was confirmed by means of morphological and biochemical laboratory tests. Drug sensitivity test was carried out according to CLSI [2011] recommendations through using the standard disc diffusion method
Results: In this study Citrobacter spp. were isolated from 21 [15.8%] of 133 culture positive blood specimens collected from the hospitalized patients. The most effective antimicrobial agents against Citrobacter isolates were imipenem [90.4%], and amikacin [71.5%], respectively. The most frequent resistance observed was to cephalothin [76.2%], ciprofloxacin [76.2%], ceftazidime [66.6%] and co-trimoxazole [62%]
Conclusion: Citrobacter isolates showed high resistance to betalactam antibiotics. Therefore, it is necessary that these drugs should only be administered to patients whose diagnostic isolates reveal sensitivity in vitro