BACKGROUND: Bacterial species from the ESKAPE group (i.e. Enterococcus faecium, 
Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, 
Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacter species) are frequently resistant to 
antibiotics. The purpose of this study was to monitor the incidence of ESKAPE 
pathogens at the intensive care unit (ICU) of a tertiary care hospital in 
Monterrey, Mexico.
METHODS: All clinically relevant organisms isolated from June 2011 to June 2012 
were included. Identification and susceptibility testing was performed using 
panels from Sensititre. Resistance to oxacillin, for S. aureus, and the 
production of extended spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs), for K. pneumonia, were 
determined as defined by the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute. Also, the 
presence of vanA and vanB genes was determined in E. faecium vancomycin 
(VAN)-resistant isolates.
RESULTS: The majority of pathogens (64.5%) isolated in the ICU unit were from 
the ESKAPE group. The organisms most frequently isolated were A. baumannii 
(15.8%) and P. aeruginosa (14.3%). A high resistance to carbapenems was detected 
for A. baumannii (75.3%) while 62% of S. aureus isolates were confirmed to be 
methicillin resistant. Of the K. pneumoniae isolates, 36.9% were ESBL producers. 
We detected three E. faecium VAN-resistant isolates, all of which contained the 
vanA gene.
CONCLUSION: The presence of the ESKAPE group of pathogens is a major problem in 
the ICU setting. The results of this study support the implementation of special 
antimicrobial strategies to specifically target these microorganisms.