Investigating the Distribution and Antibiotic Resistance of Bacterial Pathogens in Clinical Specimens from a Chinese Maternal and Child Hospital: The Role of Environmental Factors

Changzhen Li,1,* Xiaomei Wang,1,* Jingjing Rao,1,* Ye Zeng,1 Jianjun Liu,2 Feng Tang1 1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Wuhan Children’s Hospital (Wuhan Maternal and Child Healthcare Hospital), Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan, 430015, People’s Republic of China; 2Office of the Dean, Wuhan Children’s Hospital (Wuhan Maternal and Child Healthcare Hospital), Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan, 430015, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Feng Tang; Jianjun Liu, Email tang33feng66@163.com; liujianjun5221@163.comObjective: To analyze bacterial distribution and antibiotic resistance in clinical specimens from a Chinese hospital for evaluating environmental factors’ impact on pathogen prevalence.Methods: From January 2017 to December 2021, we collected 42,854 clinical specimens from hospitalized children and women. The specimens were cultured on various agar plates and incubated at 35°C for 18– 48 h. Their identification was performed using standard biochemical methods and Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF), whereas antibiotic susceptibilities were determined using the VITEK 2 system. Concurrent environmental data from Wuhan were analyzed for correlations with pathogen prevalence using multiple linear stepwise regression.Results: Of the 24,555 bacterial strains isolated, the majority were gram-positive, and sputum was the most common specimen type. Haemophilus influenzae and Escherichia coli were the most prevalent pathogens in sputum and urine samples, respectively. Notably, H. influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae affected children under 6 years of age the most. Furthermore, H. influenzae showed high ampicillin resistance but low cefotaxime resistance; S. pneumoniae was sensitive to penicillin G, and E. coli was resistant to ampicillin but sensitive to cefotetan. The prevalence of multidrug-resistant organisms was below national averages. In terms of seasonality, H. influenzae peaked during late winter and early spring, and environmental analysis indicated positive correlations between PM2.5 and PM10, and H. influenzae and S. pneumoniae prevalence. In addition, NO2 levels were positively correlated with increased S. aureus and M. catarrhalis prevalence; E coli prevalence was negatively correlated with ozone levels.Conclusion: This study provides valuable insights into the distribution and antibiotic resistance patterns of bacterial pathogens in maternal and child healthcare facilities in Wuhan, China. Environmental factors significantly influence the epidemiology of certain bacterial pathogens. Implementing integrated health strategies that combine microbial surveillance with environmental monitoring is needed to effectively manage and prevent bacterial infections.Keywords: epidemiology, multidrug-resistant pathogens, seasonality, particulate matter