Epidemiological, clinical and microbiological characteristics of patients with biliary tract diseases with positive bile culture in a tertiary hospital

PurposeThe prevalence of biliary tract diseases, which are common gastrointestinal disorders, is steadily rising. If it progresses to sepsis or septic shock, it can endanger the patient's life. Therefore, it is crucial to promptly diagnose bacterial infection in individuals suffering from biliary diseases and comprehend the risk factors associated with infection. The objective of this study was to examine the types of bacteria present in the bile of patients with biliary tract diseases, assess any alterations in their susceptibility to antimicrobial agents, and identify the risk factors contributing to the development of infection in these patients.Patients and methodsFrom June 2019 to November 2022, 317 patients of biliary tract diseases with positive bile culture were included in this hospital-based descriptive analysis. The hospital's computerized medical records were used to collect data on demographic information (including gender, age, and occupation), laboratory, and clinical findings, physical examination results, comorbidities, basic diseases, treatment history, complications, and in-hospital outcomes. The study followed the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) principles.ResultsOf the 317 patients with positive biliary tract diseases, 247 had benign diseases and 70 had malignant diseases. Patients with benign disease experienced a higher prevalence of statistically significant symptoms such as abdominal pain (81.4% vs. 57.1%, P = 0.000), nausea (31.2% vs. 14.3%, P = 0.005), vomiting (30.0% vs. 12.9%, P = 0.004), and chills (10.9% vs. 2.9%, P = 0.039), while jaundice (12.6% vs. 37.1%, P = 0.000) was more common in patients with malignant disease. At the species level, Escherichia coli (105; 40.5%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (41; 15.8%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (30; 11.6%) were the most commonly found Gram-negative bacterial strains in biliary tract infection. Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were most susceptible to tigecycline, ertapenem and ceftazidime/avibactam, respectively.ConclusionGram-negative bacteria are the most commonly isolated biliary bacteria. Clinical doctors should pay attention to patients with malignant diseases with low hemoglobin, high total bilirubin and high alkaline phosphatase. Carbapenems, tigecycline, and minocycline are the recommended antibiotics for Enterobacteriaceae. In recent years, the proportion of enterococcus has gradually increased, and clinical attention should be paid to enterococcus infection. Linezolid and vancomycin were recommended for the treatment of Enterococci infections. Overall, this work can provide reference for clinical diagnosis, treatment and effective interventions.