MULTIDRUG-RESISTANT NON-FERMENTING GRAM-NEGATIVE BACILLI OTHER THAN P. AERUGINOSA AND A. BAUMANNII COMPLEX CAUSING INFECTIONS AT A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL: A THERAPEUTIC CONCERN

Objective: This study aimed to identify the various unusual multidrug-resistant non-fermenting Gram-negative bacilli (MDR-NFGNB) other than Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter species isolated from the clinical specimens and to evaluate their antibiotic susceptibility pattern. Methods: This cross-sectional study conducted from January 2021 to June 2022 at a tertiary care teaching hospital identified unusual MDR NFGNB from clinical specimens using standard procedures and antibiotic susceptibility was done as per Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines (including colistin susceptibility testing by broth microdilution). Results: A total of 523 unusual NF-GNB were isolated from 21,019 culture-positive clinical samples, of which 185 (35.3%) were MDR. Majority of these unusual NF-GNB isolated were from pus specimen (43.2%) followed by blood (22.7%). Out of 185 non-duplicate MDR non-fermenters, the most common were Acinetobacter lwoffii, Acinetobacter haemolyticus, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Pseudomonas putida, Pseudomonas stutzeri, Pseudomonas luteola, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Burkholderia cepacia, Elizabethkingia meningoseptica, Alcaligenes, Ralstonia pickettii, Sphingomonas, and Chryseobacterium indologenes. Conclusion: Any unusual NFGNB culture isolates from clinically significant infections should be correlated clinically for its pathogenic potential and identified using standard methods, to provide adequate and timely antibiotic coverage.