The presence of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia in the context of hospital infections

Abstract

Hospital-acquired infections (HI) are related to hospitalization, one of the causative agents of HI are bacteria of the species Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, a non-fermenting gram-negative bacterium, considered an important nosocomial pathogen in hospital environments where broad exposure of this pathological agent to carbapenems is guaranteed. This bacterium has extreme resistance to this type of antibiotic class. Therefore, the objective of this study is was analyze the behavior of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia in the context of hospital infections. An integrative bibliographic review of the literature was carried out for a retrospective observational study. The references used were websites, scientific articles, described in the LILACS and PubMed databases. Scielo and Portal Periódicos Capes, Science Direct The literature consulted was published between 2010 and 2022, using as inclusion criteria studies in Portuguese and English and some studies with data prior to the period of publication. Therefore, the literature consulted shows that S. maltophilia is characterized as an agent of hospital infections and is increasingly prevalent, with rates of approximately 9.5% in Brazilian hospitals. Another important fact was the existence of a resistance mechanism to different classes of antibiotics, thanks to the biochemical pathways used by these bacteria, thus enabling the use of antibiotics as a food source. This study made possible the importance of actions to combat HI in order to contain this etiological agent, as well as the development of new therapeutic approaches not only from a pharmacological point of view but also from an ecological point of view, since this species spreads easily by the environment.