ABSTRACT A 62-year-old man presented with a history of fever, headache, anosmia, ageusia, and diarrhea for 9 days. A clinical and epidemiological diagnosis of infection with the novel coronavirus was made. After symptom refractoriness, the second step involves using human intravenous immunoglobulin. Early diagnosis of macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) involves observation of the refractory nature of clinical support treatment associated with biochemical changes to the patient's baseline characteristics, suggesting the relevance of a favorable clinical outcome of weaning from artificial life support when there is an early suspicion of a diagnosis of MAS secondary to coronavirus disease 2019 infection.

JUSTIFICATIVA E OBJETIVOS: A multi-resistência bacteriana tem crescido significativamente nos últimos anos. Entre os gram-negativos a P. aeruginosa demonstra maior facilidade de desenvolvimento de resistência aos antibióticos. O objetivo deste estudo foi determinar os padrões de susceptibilidade antimicrobiana, freqüência de resistência a múltiplos fármacos e de resistência cruzada entre antimicrobianos das cepas de Pseudomonas aeruginosa. MÉTODO: O estudo foi realizado entre setembro de 2004 e janeiro de 2006. Os testes de susceptibilidade antimicrobiana foram realizados em 304 cepas de P. aeruginosa segundo os padrões do National Committee for Clinical and Laboratory Standards (NCCLS). RESULTADOS: Os materiais mais freqüentes foram urina com 26,7% e secreção traqueal com 26,1%. Os seguintes antibióticos, com respectivos percentuais de susceptibilidade, foram observados: piperacilina-tazobactam (66,2%); aztreonam (59,8%); amicacina (59,4%); meropenem (58,2%); imipenem (57,7%); ciprofloxacina (49,7%); gentamicina e cefepima (48,6%); ceftazidima (30%) e cefotaxima (6,8%). Detectou-se elevada prevalência de multi-resistência, com 49,7% das cepas resistentes a três antibióticos ou mais e 28% resistentes a seis antibióticos ou mais. Adicionalmente se demonstraram taxas de resistência cruzada entre os beta-lactâmicos (carbapenêmicos e piperacilina/tazobactam) e os aminoglicosídeos e quinolonas entre 22,9% e 38,1% (fármacos comumente utilizados como adjuvantes no tratamento das infecções graves por pseudomonas), refletindo dificuldade nas opções de associação de antimicrobianos para tratamentos combinados. CONCLUSÕES: A freqüência de cepas multi-resistentes de P. aeruginosa foi semelhante à descrita na literatura nacional e maior do que a mundial. Para reduzir a freqüência destes clones multi-resistentes, monitorização epidemiológica e racionalização de antimicrobianos devem ser implementadas urgentemente.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The frequency of multiple-antibiotic resistant bacteria has been increasing in recent years. Among the gram-negative bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) shows a great propensity for the development of multidrug resistance mechanisms. The objective of this study was to identify the profile of susceptibility to antibiotics, the frequency of multidrug resistance and the cross-resistance between drugs of P. aeruginosa strains in two tertiary hospitals in Recife, Pernambuco. METHODS: The study was carried out between September 2004 and January 2006. The antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed in 304 strains of P. aeruginosa by the disc diffusion method in accordance with National Committee for Clinical and Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) guidelines. RESULTS: The most frequent materials were urine (26.7%) and respiratory tract secretion (26.1%) The antibiotics tested and their respective susceptibilities were as follows: piperacillin-tazobactam (66.2%); aztreonam (59.8%); amikacin (59.4%); meropenem (58.2%); imipenem (57.7%); ciprofloxacin (49.7%); gentamicin and cefepime (48.6%); ceftazidime (30%) and cefotaxime (6.8%). A high prevalence of multi-resistance was detected. Half (49.7%) the strains showed resistance to three or more antibiotics and 28% were resistant to six antimicrobials or more. Also, cross-resistance between the beta-lactams (carbapenems and piperacilin/tazobactam) and aminoglicosides and quinolones was between 22.9% and 38.1%. These drugs are commonly combined in the treatment of severe infections caused by Pseudomonas, which reflects the difficulty in choosing the appropriate option for combination therapy. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of multidrug-resistant strains of P. aeruginosa in this study was similar to other hospitals in Brazil and higher than in other countries. In order to reduce the frequency of these multiresistant clones, epidemiologic surveillance and the rational use of antibiotic protocols need to be urgently implemented.