Current microbiological trends of microorganisms causing nosocomial infections

Abstract

Infections related to health care are a major public health problem in Spain, Europe and worldwide. They cause an increase in hospital stays, long-term disability, greater resistance of microorganisms to antimicrobials, additional costs both for the patient and for the health system. The patient is exposed to a wide variety of microorganisms during hospitalization. The potential exposure to infection depends, in part, on the characteristics of the microorganisms, including antimicrobial resistance, intrinsic virulence, and the amount of infectious material (inoculum). The problem of greatest clinical importance is the trend of increasing bacterial resistance, becoming a health threat of great magnitude worldwide with an increase in morbidity and mortality. The incidence of bacterial resistance is also related to the prescription and consumption of antimicrobials. The main objective of this review article is to analyze the current microbiological trends of the microorganisms that cause nosocomial infections.