BACKGROUND: Although infections caused by the pathogens Enterococcus faecium, 
Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, 
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter spp (ESKAPE) have recently been 
identified as serious emerging problems in solid organ transplant, no 
information in liver transplant (LT) recipients is available. We sought to 
investigate the risk factors for associated mortality in LT recipients with 
ESKAPE infections.
METHODS: A retrospective analysis of infection after LT was reviewed. Risk 
factors for mortality caused by ESKAPE infection were identified.
RESULTS: Fifty-three episodes of infections caused by ESKAPE were documented in 
51 LT recipients. The main sites of infection were the bloodstream (49.0%), the 
lungs (33.3%), and the intra-abdominal/biliary tract (17.6%). The risk factors 
for mortality independently associated with ESKAPE infection were female sex 
(odds ratio [OR] = 6.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.1-40.8, P = .042), 
septic shock (OR = 30.1, 95% CI = 3.7-244.8, P = .001), and lymphocyte 
counts <300/mm(3) (OR = 20.2, 95% CI = 2.9-142.2, P = .003).
CONCLUSIONS: To improve the results of LT, more effective therapeutic treatments 
are of paramount importance when female LT recipients with ESKAPE infection 
present with septic shock and decreased lymphocyte counts.