Progress of research on epidemiology and drug resistance mechanism of Elizabethkingia anopheles infection

In recent years the detection rate of Elizabethkingia anopheles(EA) in China has shown an upward trend, making it one of the important pathogens causing hospital and community infections. EA accounts for 59.3% to 96.2% of the Elizabethkingia species, and can cause meningitis, pneumonia, bacteremia, etc. There are limited researches on its pathogenic mechanism, which mainly involves various virulence factors. EA is a multidrug-resistant bacterium, with drug resistance mechanisms including biofilm formation, efflux pumps and carrying multiple resistance genes (such as GOB, BlaB). Currently, minocycline, piperacillin/tazobactam, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and rifampin are effective drugs for treating EA infections. Clinically, efforts are being made to find the optimal antibacterial drug combination to achieve ideal therapeutic effects. This paper reviews the epidemiological characteristics, pathogenic mechanisms, drug resistance mechanisms and treatment options of EA, aiming to provide a reference for clinical prevention, control, diagnosis and treatment of EA infections.