{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,10]],"date-time":"2026-10-10T20:25:45Z","timestamp":1791663945731,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,2]],"date-time":"2025-07-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1751414400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Infectious Disease Reports"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Antibiotic resistance is a significant and escalating challenge that limits available therapeutic options. This issue is further exacerbated by the decreasing number of new antibiotics being developed. Our study aims to describe the epidemiology and pattern of antibiotic resistance in Gram-negative infections isolated from a cohort of hospitalized patients and to analyze the distribution of infections within the hospital setting. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on all patients admitted to Vito Fazzi Hospital in Lecce, Italy, who required an infectious disease consultation due to the isolation of Gram-negative bacteria from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2022. Results: During the study period, 402 isolates obtained from 382 patients (240 men and 142 women) with infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria were identified. Among these isolated, 226 exhibited multidrug resistance, defined as resistance to at least one antimicrobial agent from three or more different classes. In 2018, the percentage of multidrug-resistant isolates peaked at 87.6%, before decreasing to the lowest level (66.2%) in 2021. Overall, of the 402 isolates, 154 (38.3%) displayed resistance to carbapenems, while 73 (18.1%) were resistant to extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs). Among the resistant microorganisms, Klebsiella pneumoniae showed the highest resistance to carbapenems, accounting for 85.2% of all resistant strains. Escherichia coli exhibited the greatest resistance to ESBLs, with a rate of 86.7%. Among carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae isolates, the following resistance rates were observed: KPC-1 at 98.2%, IMP-1 at 0.9%, VIM-1 at 0.9%, and NDM-1 at 0.9%. Conclusions: Patients with infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria have limited treatment options and are therefore at an increased risk of death, complications, and longer hospital stays. Rapid diagnostic techniques and antimicrobial stewardship programs\u2014especially for ESBLs and carbapenemases\u2014can significantly shorten the time needed to identify the infection and initiate appropriate antimicrobial therapy compared to traditional methods. Additionally, enhancing surveillance of antimicrobial resistance within populations is crucial to address this emerging public health challenge.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/idr17040076","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,2]],"date-time":"2025-07-02T06:46:12Z","timestamp":1751438772000},"page":"76","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Carbapenem-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria in Hospitalized Patients: A Five-Year Surveillance in Italy"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7907-2677","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marcello","family":"Guido","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Hygiene, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5598-8499","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Antonella","family":"Zizza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, 73100 Lecce, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8814-9306","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Raffaella","family":"Sedile","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, 73100 Lecce, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Milva","family":"Nuzzo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Infectious Diseases Unit, Vito Fazzi Hospital, 73100 Lecce, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3738-4928","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Laura Isabella","family":"Lupo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Pathology and Microbiology Laboratory, Vito Fazzi Hospital, 73100 Lecce, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4397-9522","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pierfrancesco","family":"Grima","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Infectious Diseases Unit, Vito Fazzi Hospital, 73100 Lecce, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e51","DOI":"10.1016\/S1473-3099(20)30003-7","article-title":"The Lancet Infectious Diseases Commission on antimicrobial resistance: 6 years later","volume":"20","author":"Laxminarayan","year":"2020","journal-title":"Lancet Infect. 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