Early infection in liver transplant recipients:: incidence, severity, risk factors and antibiotic sensitivity of bacterial isolate

OBJECTIVES. To conduct a descriptive study with an analysis of risk factors for early infection in liver transplant patients, and to determine the resistance of the bacteria involved. PATIENTS AND METHODS. The study included 149 liver transplant recipients. All cases of infection occurring 0-90 days after transplantation were considered early infection. Pre-, intra- and postoperative variables were analyzed, and isolated microorganisms were studied. Selective bowel decontamination with quinolones, and perioperative and antifungal prophylaxis were carried out in all patients. RESULTS. The incidence of infection was 73.1%: bacterial (49.7%), viral (35.5%), fungal (10.1%) and mixed (4.5%). In the first postoperative month the most frequent infections were bacterial and in the second and third months, viral (p = 0.001). Multivariate analysis of risk factors identified the following: days of parenteral nutrition, duration of surgery > 5 hours, rejection and CMV seronegative status. Among 1278 cultures, the following microorganisms were isolated: 77.9% gram-positive cocci (GP) and 19% aerobic gram-negative bacilli (GNB). Sensitivity of Staphylococcus to vancomycin was 99.6-100% and to teicoplanin 97.9-100%. VAN resistance was observed in 1.2% of E. faecalis and 4.5% of E. faecium. Among S. aureus strains, 68.7% were MRSA. The resistance rate of GNB to quinolones was 38.8%. CONCLUSIONS. Incidence of infection was higher the first 30 days after transplantation, with bacterial infection predominating. Duration of surgery > 5 hours was the most important risk factor for acquiring bacterial infection. GP were the most frequently isolated bacteria. Empirical treatment of early bacterial infection should include vancomycin or teicoplanin. Selective bowel decontamination resulted in a low incidence of GNB infections, among which there was 38.8% resistance to quinolones.