Background: The aim was to assess the epidemiology of Burkholderia cepacia complex strains isolated at the Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacky University and University Hospital Olomouc, determine the most frequent strains and confirm or rule out potential clonal spread of the strains.
Material and methods: Over a period of eight months, all strains classified as Burkholderia cepacia complex were collected. Susceptibility to selected antimicrobial agents was determined and adequate molecular genetic methods were used to assess their genetic relationship.
Results: A total of 52 isolates were tested, with the most frequent (88.5 %) being genomovar II (Burkholderia multivorans). More than 46 % of them were genetically related; 58.3 % of them were detected in intensive care units. All isolates were highly resistant to antimicrobial agents. In four cases, deaths associated with Burkholderia multivorans infection were reported.
Conclusion: It may be assumed that genetically related strains of Burkholderia multivorans spread from the hospital setting. As yet, the source of infection has not been determined and further investigations are needed.