ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine potential host-, pathogen-, infection- and treatment-related risk factors that might predict a fulminant fatal course of bacteraemia caused by extensively drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (XDR-Aba). METHODS: Eighty-seven patients with monomicrobial growth of XDR-Aba in blood cultures within a 6-year period (2011-2016) were studied. Patients were divided into three groups according to ICU outcome: Group A (n=40) consisted of patients who survived; Group B (n=10) included patients with fulminant sepsis who died early (≤48h); and Group C (n=37) included patients who died later (>48h) after the onset of bacteraemia. RESULTS: Regarding patient co-morbidities, patients who died from fulminant XDR-Aba bacteraemia had a significantly higher prevalence of chronic renal failure compared with patients who survived (40.0% vs. 7.5%; P=0.029). Patients with fulminant sepsis showed more severe organ dysfunction based on SOFA score compared with survivors (10.83±2.93 vs. 6.65±3.6; P=0.013). The primary to secondary bacteraemia ratio and appropriate treatment were similar among the three outcome groups. Patients with fulminant bacteraemia displayed higher rates of colistin-, tigecycline- and pandrug-resistant strains, although not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Patients suffering from a fulminant course of XDR-Aba bacteraemia showed significantly higher rates of chronic renal failure and multiple organ dysfunction. Resistance patterns of XDR-Aba isolates and receipt of appropriate treatment did not affect outcomes. Further studies including larger samples of patients along with investigation of specific virulence determinants of individual Aba strains are needed.
