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Intubated patients often become colonized and subsequently infected by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The pathogen is difficult to eradicate because it readily develops antibiotic resistance. Investigators in Switzerland recently examined the acquisition and persistence of such resistance.
From 1999 to 2001, the researchers screened all intubated patients in the medical and surgical intensive care units at Geneva University Hospital and identified 40 patients with tracheal Pseudomonas colonization. Among these patients, two were selected who had follow-up for >40 days, tracheal-aspirate specimens obtained at regular intervals, and exposure to various antimicrobial agents. Multiple Pseudomonas isolates from each patient were analyzed for resistant c…