Multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacilli recovered from respiratory and blood specimens from adults: the ATLAS surveillance program in European hospitals, 2018-2020

The population of people >65 years of age is increasing in Europe. Pneumonia is a prominent cause of infection in this age group. These patients may be at heightened risk of infection caused by multidrugresistant (MDR) organisms owing to their frequent and prolonged contact with healthcare facilities as well as frequent exposure to antimicrobials and medical devices. However, ATLAS surveillance data did not demonstrate any difference in the incidence of MDR Gram-negative pathogens among patients >65 years of age and those aged < 65 years. Higher rates of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) and MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa were observed in patients aged 18-64 years (10.7% and 32.3%, respectively) than in patients aged >65 years (5.0% and 25.4%, respectively). Significant therapeutic gaps were identified for CRE , carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (65.9% of isolates tested) and MDR P. aeruginosa , which continue to be prevalent in European hospitals. Among the antimicrobials evaluated, only colistin provided > 75% in vitro coverage for these pathogens. (c) 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )