Gram-negative bacilli: a growing challenge

Non-fermentative Gram-negative bacilli represent a growing threat to public health. This study, carried out in a university hospital in central Tunisia, provided an epidemiological and bacteriological profile of strains isolated between 2019 and 2022. The majority species were Pseudomonas aeruginosa (51.8%), Acinetobacter baumannii and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, together accounting for 93.5% of isolates. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, with its intrinsic resistance and ability to acquire new resistance mechanisms, illustrates the urgent need for innovative therapeutic strategies. The evolution ofAcinetobacter baumannii and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia strains during the COVID-19 pandemic bears witness to a worrying trend. The massive use of empirical antibiotic therapy favors the emergence of highly resistant strains, raising fears of therapeutic impasses. Finally, the unexpected occurrence of Comamonas infections, particularly peritonitis, underlines the need for increased vigilance with regard to emerging species and their clinical impact on vulnerable patients.