The genus Citrobacter includes 13 species and is often found in water, food, land and certain animals. It is part of the normal flora of a small proportion of healthy humans; however, the rates of colonization increase in patients in long-term care institutions and hospitals. Citrobacter koseri is an aerobic Gram-negative bacillus, ubiquitous in nature, opportunistic, that is frequently found in genitourinary and gastrointestinal tracts of animals and humans as a saprophyte flora. Citrobacter koseri is one of the most important pathogens, eventually causing epidemics difficult to control. Therefore, the objective of this article is to carry out a microbiological characterization of this pathogen. A transversal descriptive study was conducted in the Surgical Clinical Hospital Lucía Íñiguez Landín of Holguín, which covered the period from January to December 2019. The study universe consisted of all enterobacteriaceae isolated in clinical samples of adult patients admitted during this period and the sample was formed by 219 strains of Citrobacter koseri. Out of the total number of cases, 70 belonged to the intensive care service for a 32.0%. Out of the total number of samples, 139 were isolated in pus samples for a 63.5%. The strains were more resistant to ciprofloxacin, cefuroxime, ampicillin, aztreonam, ceftazidime and to gentamicin. Citrobacter koseri is able to develop multidrug resistance to known antibiotics, acts as opportunistic and can colonize people in community, consequently its dissemination should be controlled.

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