Background Febrile neutropenia is a major complication of cytotoxic chemotherapy and is associated with a high rate of mortality and morbidity, if not treated appropriately. Consequently, it is important to know the bacterial spectrum and pattern of their resistance in each hospital to formulate an appropriate empiric antibiotic regimen. The objectives of this analysis were to study the bacterial spectrum in patients with chemotherapy-induced neutropenia, and to report their resistance patterns. Patients and Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted on patients admitted with febrile neutropenia between January 2010 and December 2016 in oncology unit at University Hospital in Oman. Consecutive patients with a diagnosis of non-hematological malignancies who had febrile neutropenia and a positive blood culture were included in this study. Data were stored and analyzed in SPSS version 23. Ethics approval was sought from Institutional Ethics Committee. Results: A total of 76 bacterial isolates were documented in 67 episodes in 62 patients. There were 26 male and 36 female patients. Median age was 51 (14-81) years. The most common cancers were breast cancer (17.7%), non Hodgkin lymphoma (16.1%) and colon cancer (14.5%). Gramnegative and gram-positive organisms accounted for 73.7% and 26.3% of all isolates respectively. The most common gram-negative organisms were Pseudomonas aeruginosa (26.8%), Escherichia coli (23.2%), Klebsiella species (17.9%) and Acinetobacter baumannii (12.5%), while the most common gram-positive organisms were Staphylococcus aureus (30%) followed by Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (25%). There were 14 multidrug-resistant organisms and 8 extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) organisms. The resistance among gram-negative organisms to the commonly used broad spectrum antibiotics was 23.5 % to 55.6%. No resistance was recorded against Vancomycin amongst the gram positive organisms. Eight patients (12%) died while neutropenic. Conclusion: Gram-negative organisms were the predominant organisms. There is a high rate of resistance to the commonly used antibiotics. Use of combination antibiotics is warranted in patients presenting with chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia.

Background Febrile neutropenia is a major complication of cytotoxic chemotherapy and is associated with a high rate of mortality and morbidity, if not treated appropriately. Consequently, it is important to know the bacterial spectrum and pattern of their resistance in each hospital to formulate ...