Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Bloodstream infections (BSIs) caused by antimicrobial-resistant pathogens, especially WHO-Bacterial-Priority-Pathogens (WHO-BPPs), contribute to significant mortality. The current study determined the prevalence of BSIs, causative bacterial pathogens and their antimicrobial susceptibility profiles, and factors associated with laboratory-confirmed BSIs by WHO-BPPs during and after National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (NAP-AMR) implementation in Mwanza, Tanzania. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among sepsis patients in District, Regional, and Zonal Referral Hospitals from June 2019 to June 2020 (during NAP-AMR) and March to July 2023 (after NAP-AMR). Blood cultures were processed using conventional methods, while bacterial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing were performed using Vitek MS (MALDI-TOF-MS) and Vitek 2, respectively. STATA version 15.0 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Among 1842 enrolled patients (median age: 5 years, IQR: 0-31), 51.4% were female. The overall prevalence of BSIs was 14.7% (271/1842). A total of 306 bacterial isolates were identified, with Gram-negative bacteria predominating during (92.4%) and after (73.5%) NAP-AMR. Escherichia coli was most common during (31.2%), whereas Klebsiella pneumoniae dominated after (43.4%) NAP-AMR. BSIs caused by WHO-BPPs rose significantly after NAP-AMR (43.5% vs 76.1%, p<0.001), particularly extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing Enterobacterales. Klebsiella pneumoniae resistance to cefotaxime (65.3% vs 93.2%, p=0.001), gentamicin (63.3% vs 94.9%, p=0.001), and ciprofloxacin (28.6% vs 76.3%, p=0.001) increased significantly. Higher-tier hospitals (OR: 7.01; 95% CI: 1.58-31.05; p=0.010) and after NAP-AMR enrollment (OR: 2.87; 95% CI: 1.33-6.19; p=0.007) were linked to increased BSIs caused by WHO-BPPs. CONCLUSION: We observed a high prevalence of BSIs with a rising proportion of BSIs caused by WHO-BPPs, particularly in higher-tier hospitals and after the implementation of NAP-AMR. Our findings highlight the need of hospital-specific antibiograms and reinforced infection prevention measures.