Extraintestinal Infections Caused by Aeromonas Species: 31 Cases Over 4 Years

Purpose The gram negative bacteria of genus Aeromonas is one of the emerging group of pathogens causing infections in humans, both in immunocompromised and immunocompetent. With the development of resistance toward beta-lactam antibiotics, knowledge, and approach regarding Aeromonas is warranted. The study analyses the clinical presentation, risk factors, antimicrobial susceptibility, and outcomes of 31 cases of Aeromonas infection. Methods A retrospective record-based study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital after the approval of the institutional ethics committee. All patients diagnosed and admitted with Aeromonas infection over a period of 4 years (2017-2020) were enrolled. All information was collected from medical records, laboratory information systems, and analyzed using SPSS 17. Results A total of 31 confirmed cases of Aeromonas were enrolled. Blood and pus/wound swab samples yielded maximum number of isolates. The predominant associated risk factors were type 2 diabetes mellitus and malignancy. Main presentations were bacteremia followed by wound infection with a mortality of 16%. Strains were sensitive toward tigecycline followed by co-trimoxazole, gentamicin, and fluoroquinolones. Conclusions The Aeromonas species present with diverse clinical disease and can easily acquire multidrug resistance via plasmids. In immunocompromised individuals, it can give rise to life threatening infections. These are organisms are widely present in the aquatic environment. Therefore, it is prudent to check the contamination of the water bodies by sources like aquaculture and agriculture wastes containing residual antimicrobial agents.