Characteristics of Chryseobacterium bacteremia, associated risk factors and their antibiotic susceptibility pattern at a university hospital: a descriptive, retrospective study

Abstract Introduction: Chryseobacterium species are emerging bacteria capable of causing nosocomial infections in immunocompromised patients or patients with indwelling medical devices. Hypothesis/ Gap statement: Information about the incidence of Chryseobacterium bacteremia from worldwide literature is limited. Aim: We aimed to recognize the clinical characteristics, frequency of distribution of different Chryseobacterium species isolates, and their antimicrobial susceptibility profile from bloodstream infections.  Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study to identify all isolates of Chryseobacterium species from bloodstream infection from January 2018 to November 2022 at a university hospital in North India. Results: We identified 42 non-duplicate isolates of Chryseobacterium species from bloodstream infection in the duration of our study. Mean age of the patients was 48.35 ± 16.63 years. Men (22/42, 52.2%) were more commonly affected in comparison to women (20/42, 47.6%) but the difference was not significant. The most common species identified was C.indologenes (40/42, 95.24%) followed by C. gleum (2/42, 4.76%). The co-morbidities commonly encountered in our study were chronic kidney disease (21/42, 50.0%) followed by diabetes mellitus (12/42, 28.6%) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (8/42, 19.05%). All patients had intravenous access to medications or fluid management via a central or peripheral line and mechanical ventilation was observed in 39 (39/42, 92.86%) patients. All the isolates were susceptible to minocycline (100%), followed by doxycycline (97.6%) and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (95.2%). Conclusion: Chryseobacterium species are capable of causing pneumonia, bacteremia and urinary tract infection in immunocompromised patients. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment with appropriate antibiotics can prevent progression to septicemia.