Why are enterobacter a concern?
Infections caused by enterobacter bacteria are a concern because they are increasingly common and are often caused by antibiotic resistant strains. Between 5% and 15% of hospital in-patients develop an infection during their admission and patients in an intensive care unit (ICU) are 5 to 10 times more likely to get a hospital acquired infection than those in general wards (Lim and Webb, 2005). Of these infections, enterobacter represent 6% of all hospital-acquired isolates and 11% of all pneumonia isolates. They are the most frequently isolated gram-negative organisms in intensive care unit (ICU) bloodstream infections and they are the third most common pathogen isolated in cases of ICU pneumonias. Because of their prevalence and pathogenisis, antibiotic resistance in this bacterium is particularly alarming. Recent studies have found that 35 – 50% of Enterobacter involved in nosocomial infections are resistant to second and third generation cephalosporins and broad spectrum penicillins
