Distribution, carbapenem resistance and DTR dynamics of ESKAPEEc pathogens from pediatric bloodstream infections in Sichuan Province, 2017-2025: epidemiological characteristics under COVID-19 pandemic and emerging linezolid MIC creep

Objective

To characterize the distribution and antimicrobial resistance evolution of ESKAPEEc pathogens causing pediatric bloodstream infections in Sichuan Province across the COVID-19 era, and to systematically evaluate the epidemiology of carbapenem resistance (CR), difficult-to-treat resistance (DTR), and MIC drift in vancomycin and linezolid, thereby addressing a long-standing gap in longitudinal pediatric multidrug-resistant surveillance in Southwest China.