Abstract:Objective To study the clinical characteristics and bacterial antimicrobial susceptibility testing results of patients with clinically isolated Ralstonia pickettii (R. pickettii), and provide basis for the rational use of antimicrobial agents. Methods Inpatients with R. pickettii infection who were treated at the Tianjin First Central Hospital from January 2014 to December 2023 were analyzed retrospectively. Clinical characteristics and antimicrobial susceptibility testing results were analyzed. Results A total of 80 strains of Ralstonia spp. were isolated over 10-year period, including 42 (52.5%) non-repetitive strains of R. pickettii. Among 42 R. pickettii strains, 64.3% were isolated from male patients. The strains isolated from sputum, catheter, blood, throat swabs, and drainage fluid specimens accounted for 38.1%, 28.6 %, 19.0%, 4.8%, and 2.4%, respectively. The clinical distribution of R. pickettii was highest in the intensive care unit (ICU), with a proportion of 52.4%. The number of infected patients first increased and then decreased with the years, followed by a slight fluctuation. There was no statistically significant difference in the number of infected patients in each department over the years (P>0.05). R. pickettii had higher susceptibility rates to doxycycline, levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and minocycline, susceptibility rates were 78.3%-90.9%, but was completely resistant to compound sulfamethoxazole and cefazolin (100%), it also had higher resistance rates to aztreonam, colistin, cefotetan, tobramycin, amikacin, ceftazidime, and gentamicin (80.0%-97.4%). There was no statistically significant difference in the resistance rates to 21 antimicrobial agents among different years (all P>0.05). Conclusion R. pickettii is mainly from ICU, and the majority of the infected population are adult males. Most strains are isolated from sputum and catheter. R. pickettii presents multidrug resistance. Attention should be paid to the changes in the resistance rates of antimicrobial agents, strengthen the dynamic monitoring of bacterial resistance and guide the rational selection of antimicrobial agents in clinic, implement early and effective treatment to improve the prognosis of the patients.