OBJECTIVE: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the principal causes of bacterial infections in healthcare and it represents a critical problem worldwide. Infections are becoming more difficult to treat because this bacterium is resistant to many commonly used antibiotics, including aminoglycosides, cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones and carbapenems. Drug resistance is associated with worse clinical outcomes: it facilitates prolonged hospitalization, multiple morbidities and increased health costs. The aim of this work was to evaluate the epidemiology of Pseudomonas aeruginosa during the years 2015-2017 in “G. Martino” University Hospital of Messina (Messina, Italy).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We carried out an epidemiological study, collecting all the reports of P. aeruginosa isolates and relative resistances at the Microbiology Laboratory of the University Hospital “G. Martino” in Messina (Italy) during a three years period (2015-2017).

RESULTS: In our hospital, Pseudomonas spp. detection rates are equal to 14.6%, 12.3% and 13.3% of all microbial isolates in 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively. During 2017, the Intensive Care Unit showed the highest mean percentages of Pseudomonas spp. detection (25%), followed by surgical area (18.4%) and medical area (22.2%). The percentages of resistance strains detection showed a decreasing trend in the considered period.

CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that, despite a decreasing trend during these three years period, P. aeruginosa infection still represents an important cause of healthcare-associated infections in our hospital. It is necessary to improve preventive measures to reduce the incidence of this infection.