128. Adequacy of Commonly Prescribed Antimicrobials for Empiric Coverage of Gram-Negative Bacterial Pathogens Recovered from the Bloodstream of Patients Attending Emergency Rooms in Canada: Analysis of Data from the CANWARD Study, 2007 to 2018

BACKGROUND: Inadequate empiric antimicrobial therapy for Gram-negative bacteremia is associated with adverse clinical outcomes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the proportion of Gram-negative bacterial isolates recovered from the bloodstream of patients attending Canadian emergency rooms (ERs) that remain susceptible to commonly prescribed antimicrobials. METHODS: Annually from 2007 to 2018, sentinel hospitals across Canada collected bloodstream isolates from patients attending ERs as part of the CANWARD study. Susceptibility testing was performed using broth microdilution as described by CLSI (data analysis limited to Gram-negative bacteria in the top 10 pathogens), with current CLSI breakpoints applied. Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing isolates were confirmed using the CLSI disk diffusion method. RESULTS: Gram-negative bacteria among the top 10 bloodstream pathogens for patients seen at ERs across Canada were: Escherichia coli (n = 2,414), Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 573), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 211), Proteus mirabilis (n = 119), and Enterobacter cloacae (n = 114). Aggregate susceptibility of these isolates to common antimicrobials was as follows (% susceptible [S]): meropenem 99.4% S, piperacillin–tazobactam 98.5% S, gentamicin 93.3% S, ceftriaxone 88.1% S, ciprofloxacin 81.4% S, TMP-SMX 73.5% S. The most active antimicrobials evaluated vs. E. coli were meropenem (100% S), piperacillin–tazobactam (98.8% S), and ceftriaxone (93.3% S). Ceftriaxone susceptibility among E. coli isolates declined from 95.4% in 2007 to 89.8% in 2018. The average proportion of E. coli isolates that harbored an ESBL enzyme increased from 3.4% in the first three study years to 8.4% in the last three study years. The most active antimicrobials evaluated vs. K. pneumoniae isolates were meropenem (99.7% S), piperacillin–tazobactam (98.8% S), gentamicin (97.7% S), and ceftriaxone (96.9% S). CONCLUSION: The most consistently active antimicrobials for empiric treatment of patients at Canadian ERs with Gram-negative bacteremia are meropenem and piperacillin–tazobactam. Ceftriaxone susceptibility among E. coli has declined over the last 12 years, mostly related to an increase in ESBL-producing isolates. DISCLOSURES: All authors: No reported disclosures.