Antimicrobial drug resistance in Taiwan

Antimicrobial resistance is a major global health threat associated with high mortality rates and high medical costs. Geographic variations in resistance profiles of bacterial and fungal pathogens have had a considerable impact on antimicrobial prescription. In Taiwan, there is an alarmingly high prevalence of penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae, multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii, extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae, penicillin- and fluoroquinolone-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and azole-resistant Candida species. In addition, the emergence of XDR Mycobacterium tuberculosis has illustrated the need for regular monitoring of the resistance profiles of clinical isolates. A few clones of XDR A. baumannii and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus of unique sequence type (ST 59) have disseminated in Taiwanese hospital settings. Besides, the existence of a transposon-harboring carbapenemase gene has been verified in XDR P aeruginosa strains throughout Taiwan. An end to the worsening trends in the emergence of antimicrobial resistance will require continuous survey of resistance data from clinical isolates and effective implementation of strict infection control policies in healthcare settings and animal husbandry.