Objective: A prospective observational study to investigate the distribution and antimicrobial resistance of pathogenic bacteria in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) in Beijing, China.
Methods: Patients with AECOPD were recruited from 11 general hospitals. Sputum specimens were cultured and bacteria identified. Antibiotic susceptibility was determined for each isolate, and presence of antibiotic resistance genes was evaluated using polymerase chain reaction.
Results: Pathogenic bacteria were isolated from 109/318 patients (34.28%); 124 isolates of 22 pathogenic bacterial species were identified, including Klebsiella pneumoniae (16.94%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (16.94%), Acinetobacter baumannii (11.29%), Streptococcus pneumoniae (8.87%), and Staphylococcus aureus (7.26%). S. aureus was sensitive to tigecycline, teicoplanin, vancomycin and linezolid but resistant to penicillin and levofloxacin. K.pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa, A. baumannii and E. coli were susceptible to amikacin and cefoperazone.
Conclusions: K. pneumoniae and P. aeruginosa are the most common pathogenic bacteria in AECOPD cases in Beijing, China. Our antibiotic resistance findings may be helpful in selecting antibiotic therapy.
Keywords: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; acute exacerbation; antibiotic resistance gene; bacteriology.
© The Author(s) 2015.