Bacteraemia due to AmpC β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli in hospitalized cancer patients: risk factors, antibiotic therapy, and outcomes

- Prevalence of AmpC-EC was high in hospitalized cancer patients.
- Cephalosporins, carbapenems exposure and invasive procedures are risk factors for AmpC-EC.
- TTP of AmpC-EC bacteraemia tended to be shorter than that of non-AmpC-EC.

AmpC β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (AmpC-EC) is one of the main antimicrobial resistant pathogens in patients with cancer. A cohort study was performed to evaluate the risk factors, antibiotic therapy, and outcomes of AmpC-EC bacteraemia in hospitalized cancer patients from September 2012 through December 2015. Two hundred forty-eight cases of E. coli bacteraemia were documented in cancer patients, 51 (20.6%) were caused by AmpC-EC and 197 (79.4%) were caused with non-AmpC-EC. Prior exposure to cephalosporins (OR 2.786; 95% CI: 1.094-7.091; P = 0.032), carbapenems (OR 2.296; 95% CI: 1.054-5.004; P = 0.036), and invasive procedures (OR 4.237; 95% CI: 1.731-10.37; P = 0.002) were identified as independent risk factors for AmpC-EC. The time to positivity (TTP) of patients with AmpC-EC bacteraemia tended to be significantly shorter than that of non-AmpC-EC (8.33 ± 2.18 h versus 9.48 ± 3.82 h; P = 0.006), and had a higher 30-day mortality rate in AmpC-EC compared with non-AmpC-EC (25.5% versus 12.2%; P = 0.018). Metastasis (OR = 2.778, 95% CI: 1.078-7.162; P = 0.034), the presence of septic shock (OR = 4.983, 95% CI: 1.761-14.10; P = 0.002), and organ failure (OR = 24.51 95% CI: 9.884-60.81; P < 0.001) were independently associated with the overall mortality. The mortality rate showed a gradual increase when appropriate antibiotic therapy (AAT) was delayed more than 48 h as determined by the trend test (P < 0.001). In conclusion, this study showed that prevalence of AmpC-EC was high in hospitalized cancer patients of our area. Thus, it is necessary to apply appropriate therapeutic approaches and improve outcomes based on the analysis of risk factors for the acquisition of AmpC-EC.