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Background Infections due to antibiotic resistant organisms (ARO) among hospitalized patients are associated with increased morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. Longitudinal data about antimicrobial resistance are scarce in Lebanon and the region. The objective of this study is to describe the temporal trends of resistance of selected pathogens among hospitalized patients at a tertiary care center in Lebanon. Methods We conducted a retrospective review of surveillance data from 2010 until 2018. Six target organisms isolated from hospitalized patients were included: carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli (CREC), carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella spp. (CRKP), multi-drug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MDRPA), carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus spp. (VRE). Correlation analysis was performed to evaluate for temporal trends. Results A total of 15,901 isolates were examined, most of which were obtained from urinary specimens. Among Gram-negative organisms, the highest resistance was found among CRAB (81.7%), followed by CRKP (6.5%) and CREC (3.3%). MDRPA overall prevalence was 0.8%. Among Gram-positive organisms, the prevalence of MRSA and VRE was 26.2% and 2.6%, respectively. CREC, MRSA, and VRE showed statistically significant increasing temporal trends, while CRAB decreased significantly from 2013 to 2018. Conclusion These data are helpful in characterizing the epidemiology of antimicrobial resistance in Lebanon and show that controlling emerging resistance is achievable with concerted infection control and antimicrobial stewardship efforts. Caution should be exercised to contain early on the spread of CREC and of resistant Gram-positive pathogens.

Background Vulnerable patients with intestinal colonisation of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) are recognised to be at increased risk of invasive MDRO driven infection. Intestinal Microbiota Transplantation (IMT aka FMT) is the transfer of healthy screened donor stool to an affected recipient, and recent interest has focused on its impact on the reduction of invasive MDRO infection. Objectives To describe ‘How to’ establish a clinical IMT pathway for patients at risk of MDRO invasive infection, with special considerations for optimising administration and assessment of endpoints. Sources Expert guidelines and peer-reviewed clinical studies are encompassed and discussed. Content IMT is offered to patients with MDROs detected on rectal or stool screening and either at risk of MDRO invasive infection due to altered immune status or those with recurrent MDRO-mediated invasive disease and considered at risk of further disease. Donor screening should include pathogens with theoretical or demonstrated risk of transmission (including MDROs themselves and SARS-CoV-2) to take into consideration the relative immunosuppressed state of potential recipients. Delivery of IMT occurs when the patient is free from active infection, but no additional antibiotics are indicated. If administered when future immunosuppression is to take place, IMT is aligned at least two weeks beforehand to ensure sufficient time for engraftment. Patients are followed up in terms of adverse effects from IMT and clinicians are advised to discuss with the IMT multidisciplinary team on choice of antibiotics if needed to take into consideration the impact upon the intestinal microbiome. Prevention of invasive disease is the primary measure of success, rather than using intestinal decolonisation as a binary outcome. Repeat IMT is considered case-by-case. Implications Future research areas should include randomised studies that consider clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness, and better understanding of mechanisms to identify markers of treatment success and functional components that could be used therapeutically.

Objective To determine whether a single-use stethoscope diaphragm barrier surface remains aseptic when placed on pathogen-contaminated stethoscopes. Methods From May 31 to August 5, 2019, we tested 2 separate barriers using 3 different strains of 7 human pathogens, including extended-spectrum β-lactamase–producing Escherichia coli, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and vancomycin resistant Enterococcus faecium. Results For all diaphragms with either of the 2 barriers tested, no growth was recorded for any of the pathogens. Stethoscopes with aseptic barriers remained sterile for up to 24 hours. These single-use barriers also provided aseptic surfaces when stethoscope diaphragms were inoculated with human specimens, including saliva, stool, urine, and sputum. Conclusion Disposable aseptic diaphragm barriers may provide robust and efficient solutions to reduce transmission of pathogens via stethoscopes.

Elderly people confined to chronic care facilities face an increased risk of acquiring infections by multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs). This review presents the current knowledge of the prevalence and risk factors for colonization by MDROs in long-term care facilities (LTCF), thereby providing a useful reference to establish objectives for implementing successful antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs). We searched in PubMed and Scopus for studies examining the prevalence of MDROs and/or risk factors for the acquisition of MDROs in LTCF. One hundred and thirty-four studies published from 1987 to 2020 were included. The prevalence of MDROs in LTCF varies between the different continents, where Asia reported the highest prevalence of extended-spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL) Enterobacterales (71.6%), carbapenem resistant (CR) Enterobacterales (6.9%) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (25.6%) and North America the highest prevalence to MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa (5.4%), MDR Acinetobacter baumannii (15.0%), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus spp. (VRE) (4.0%), and Clostridioides difficile (26.1%). Furthermore, MDRO prevalence has experienced changes over time, with increases in MDR P. aeruginosa and extended spectrum ß-lactamase producing Enterobacterales observed starting in 2015 and decreases of CR Enterobacterales, MDR A. baumannii, VRE, MRSA and C. difficile. Several risk factors have been found, such as male sex, chronic wounds, the use of medical devices, and previous antibiotic use. The last of these aspects represents one of the most important modifiable factors for reducing colonization with MDROs through implementing ASPs in LTCF.

Highlights • The consumption of alcohol for hand hygiene and personal prevention resources has increased during the COVID-19 outbreak. • The increased consumption of personal prevention resources did not affect the overall nosocomial infection incidence density in our hospital. • Incidence density of certain multidrug resistant organism significantly decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic with strict personal hygiene., Objectives During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, strict infection control measures have been implemented in healthcare settings and hospitals, including respiratory and hand hygiene. This study investigated the impact of these control measures on the incidence rates of hospital-acquired infections (HAI) and multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) in a Taiwan medical center. Methods This study compared the consumption of personal prevention resources and the incidence density of HAI and MDRO in a medical center in Taiwan from January to May 2020, encapsulating the COVID-19 outbreak period in the study, to baseline data from the same timeframe in 2018 and 2019. Results There was no significant difference between the number of inpatient days in 2020, 2018 and 2019. The consumption of either alcohol for hand hygiene or surgical masks significantly increased in 2020. However, the overall HAI incidence density did not significantly differ from the rate at the baseline period. It was found that the incidence density of MDRO was significantly lower in 2020, especially in carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus. Conclusions A collateral benefit of the COVID-19 prevention measures on the incidence density of MDRO was observed in a hospital in Taiwan where the incidence of COVID-19 was low.

In addition to SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) infection itself, an increase in the incidence of antimicrobial resistance poses collateral damage to the current status of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. There has been a rapid increase in multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), including extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae, carbapenem-resistant New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM)-producing Enterobacterales, Acinetobacter baumannii, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), pan-echinocandin-resistant Candida glabrata and multi-triazole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus. The cause is multifactorial and is particularly related to high rates of antimicrobial agent utilisation in COVID-19 patients with a relatively low rate of co- or secondary infection. Appropriate prescription and optimised use of antimicrobials according to the principles of antimicrobial stewardship as well as quality diagnosis and aggressive infection control measures may help prevent the occurrence of MDROs during this pandemic.

Background Infections caused by multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) are emerging worldwide. Physicians are increasingly faced with the question of whether patients need empiric antibiotic treatment covering these pathogens. This question is especially essential among MDRO carriers. We aim to determine the occurrence of MDRO bacteraemia among bacteraemic patients colonized with MDRO, and the associated factors with MDRO bacteraemia among this population. Methods We performed a retrospective monocentric study among MDRO carriers hospitalized with bacteraemia between January 2013 and August 2016 in a French hospital. We compared characteristics of patients with MDRO and non-MDRO bacteraemia. Results Overall, 368 episodes of bacteraemia were reviewed; 98/368 (26.6%) occurred among MDRO carriers. Main colonizing bacteria were extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli (40/98; 40.8%), ESBL-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (35/98; 35.7%); methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (26/98; 26.5%) and multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) (12/98; 12.2%). There was no significant difference considering population with MDRO bacteraemia vs. non-MDRO bacteraemia, except for immunosuppression [OR 2.86; p = 0.0207], severity of the episode [OR 3.13; p = 0.0232], carriage of PA [OR 5.24; p = 0.0395], and hospital-acquired infection [OR 2.49; p = 0.034]. In the multivariate analysis, factors significantly associated with MDRO bacteraemia among colonized patient were only immunosuppression [OR = 2.96; p = 0.0354] and the hospital-acquired origin of bacteraemia [OR = 2.62; p = 0.0427]. Conclusions According to our study, occurrence of bacteraemia due to MDRO among MDRO carriers was high. Factors associated with MDRO bacteraemia were severity of the episode and hospital-acquired origin of the bacteraemia. Thus, during bacteraemia among patients colonized with MDRO, if such characteristics are present, broad-spectrum antimicrobial treatment is recommended.

Despite evidence supporting the effectiveness of best practices in infection prevention and management, many healthcare workers fail to implement them and evidence-based practices tend to be underused in routine practice. Prevention and management of infections across the surgical pathway should always focus on collaboration among all healthcare workers sharing knowledge of best practices. To clarify key issues in the prevention and management of infections across the surgical pathway, a multidisciplinary task force of experts convened in Ancona, Italy, on May 31, 2019, for a national meeting. This document represents the executive summary of the final statements approved by the expert panel.

Background Recurrent urinary tract infections (R-UTIs) are the main cause of morbidity and hospitalizations in subjects with neurogenic bladder (NB) due to spinal cord injury (SCI). We evaluated the efficacy of weekly oral cyclic antibiotic (WOCA) prophylaxis (ie, the alternate weekly administration of 2 antibiotics) in preventing R-UTIs. Methods Randomized (1:1), open-label, superiority-controlled trial compared WOCA prophylaxis to no prophylaxis (control) for 6 months in patients with NB due to SCI, using clean intermittent self-catheterization, and suffering from R-UTIs. Primary outcome was incidence of symptomatic antibiotic-treated UTIs. Secondary outcomes were number of febrile UTIs, number of hospitalizations, WOCA tolerance, antibiotic consumption, number of negative urine cultures, and emergence of bacterial resistance in urinary, intestinal, and nasal microbiota. Results Forty-five patients were either allocated to the WOCA group (n = 23) or the control group (n = 22). Median (IQR) incidence of symptomatic antibiotic-treated UTIs was 1.0 (0.5–2.5) in the WOCA group versus 2.5 (1.2–4.0) (P = .0241) in the control group. No febrile UTIs were recorded in the WOCA group versus 9 (45.0%) (P < .001) in the control group. The median number of additional antibiotic treatment was 0.0 (IQR, 0.0–2.0) versus 3.0 (2.0–5.0) (P = .004) in the WOCA and control groups, respectively. Only few adverse events were reported. No impact on emergence of bacterial resistance was observed. Conclusions WOCA is efficient and well tolerated in preventing R-UTIs in SCI patients. In our study, we did not observe any emergence of antibiotic resistance in digestive and nasal microbiological cultures. Clinical Trials Registration NCT01388413.

Background No-touch environmental disinfection using ultraviolet devices has been highlighted in the past several years to control the transmission of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs). However, its effectiveness in non-US healthcare settings is yet to be examined. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of disinfection by portable pulsed xenon ultraviolet (PX-UV) devices in controlling transmission of MDROs in a non-US healthcare setting. Methods All patients admitted in the intensive care unit in a 629-bed tertiary referral hospital in Japan from August 2016 to February 2019 were enrolled. During the study period, PX-UV disinfection was added to manual terminal cleaning after every patient transfer/discharge. For microbiological evaluation, surfaces were selected for sampling by contact plates before/after manual cleaning and after PX-UV. After overnight incubation, colonies on the plates were counted. Results The incidence of newly acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) declined significantly (13.8 to 9.9 per 10,000 patient days, incidence rate ratio 0.71, p = 0.002), as well as that of newly acquired drug-resistant Acinetobacter (48.5 to 18.1, 0.37, p Conclusions PX-UV is effective in further reducing the microbial burden and controlling MDROs in a non-US healthcare setting.

INTRODUCTION: The present study aimed to determine the incidence of health care-associated infections (HCAIs) and identify the main resistant microorganisms in intensive care unit (ICU) patients in a Brazilian university hospital. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in a Brazilian teaching hospital between 2012 and 2014. RESULTS: Overall, 81.2% of the infections were acquired in the ICU. The most common resistant pathogenic phenotypes in all-site and bloodstream infections were oxacillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci and carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter spp. (89.9% and 87.4%; 80.6% and 70.0%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: There is an urgent need to focus on HCAIs in ICUs in Brazil.

The antimicrobial trends over 6 years were studied, and the effect of revised Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) breakpoints (2012) for ciprofloxacin susceptibility reporting in typhoidal Salmonellae was determined. A total of 874 (95.4%) isolates were nalidixic acid-resistant (NAR). Using the CLSI 2011 guidelines (M100-S21), 585 (66.9%) isolates were ciprofloxacin susceptible. The susceptibility reduced to 11 (1.25%) isolates when interpreted using 2012 guidelines (M100-S22). Among the forty nalidixic acid susceptible (NAS) Salmonellae, susceptibility to ciprofloxacin decreased from 37 isolates (M100-S21) to 12 isolates (M100-S22). The 25 cases which appeared resistant with newer guidelines had a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) range between 0.125 and 0.5 μg/ml. MIC50 for the third generation cephalosporins varied between 0.125 and 0.5 μg/ml over 6 years whereas MIC90 varied with a broader range of 0.19–1 μg/ml. The gap between NAR and ciprofloxacin-resistant strains identified using 2011 guidelines has been reduced; however, it remains to be seen whether additional NAS, ciprofloxacin-resistant isolates are truly resistant to ciprofloxacin by other mechanisms of resistance.

In this multicenter study, we identified an increased risk of 30-day mortality among hospitalized children with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) isolated from clinical cultures compared with those with carbapenem-susceptible Enterobacteriaceae. We additionally report significant variation in antibiotic treatment for children with CRE infections with infrequent use of combination therapy.

We analysed susceptibility of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) including New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase-1 positive Enterobacteriaceae to chlorhexidine and compared results to their susceptible counterparts. Susceptibilities of chlorhexidine digluconate in a standard (CHX-S) preparation and two commercial disinfectants containing different CHX concentrations (2% w/v and 4% w/w) were performed. MDROs had narrower range of higher CHX-S minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) as compared to pan-sensitive organisms. The MIC values for commercial disinfectants products for MDROs were many folds higher (20-600 times), than CHX-S for in vitro use. Increasing antibiotic resistance among bacterial isolates can be an indirect marker of reduced susceptibility to chlorhexidine in hospital setting.

The spread of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) has been enabled by the lack of control measures directed at carriers of multidrug-resistant organisms in healthcare settings. Screening patients for asymptomatic colonization on the one hand, and implementation of contact precautions on the other hand, reduces patient-to-patient transmission. Screening plates represents a relatively low-cost method for isolating CRE from rectal swabs, however, molecular assays have become widely available. This study compared the performance of four commercial molecular platforms in detecting clinically significant carbapenemase genes versus routine screening for CRE. A total of 1015 non-duplicated rectal swabs were cultured on a chromogenic carbapenem-resistant selective medium. All growing Enterobacteriaceae strains were tested for carbapenemase-related genes. The same specimens were processed using the following molecular assays: Allplex&trade, Entero-DR, Amplidiag&reg, CarbaR + MCR, AusDiagnostics MT CRE EU, and EasyScreen&trade, ESBL/CPO. The prevalence of Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing Enterobacteriaceae detected by swab culture was 2.2%, while organisms producing oxacillinase (OXA)-48 and metallo-&beta, lactamases were infrequent. The cost of CRE-related infection control precautions, which must be kept in place while waiting for screening results, are significant, so the molecular tests could become cost-competitive, especially when the turnaround time is decreased dramatically. Molecular assays represent a powerful diagnostic tool as they allow the rapid detection of the most clinically relevant carbapenemases.

Background: Diabetic foot infections (DFIs) are major public health problems and knowledge of microbes that cause infections are helpful to determine proper antibiotic therapy.Aims: The aim was to investigate the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of microbes in DFIs.Subjects and Methods: A cross.sectional study was conducted for a period of 6 months at the Department of General Surgery, KMC hospital, Manipal University, Manipal, India. During this period, 108 patients having DFIs admitted in the general surgery wards were tracked from the hospital data management system. These patientsf pus samples were examined as Gram.stained smear and cultured aerobically on blood agar and MacConkey agar plates. Antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed by disc diffusion techniques according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines.Results: Of the 108 specimens of the diabetic foot lesions, culture showed polymicrobial growth in 44.4% (48/108). Prevalence of Gram-negativeorganisms (56%, 84/150) was found to be more than Gram.positive organisms (44%, 66/150). However, Staphylococcus aureus was the most frequent pathogen (28%, 42/150). All Gram-positive aerobes were sensitive to doxycycline. All Gram-negative isolates, including extended spectrum beta lactamase producing strains of Proteus mirabilis and Klebsiellaoxytoca except Acinetobacter were highly sensitive to amikacin, cefoperazone/sulbactam, and meropenem. Acinetobacter was completely resistant to all the common antibiotics tested.Conclusion: Prevalence showed Gram-negative bacteria was slightly more than Gram-positive bacteria in diabetic foot ulcers. This study recommends doxycycline should be empirical treatment of choice for Gram-positive isolates and amikacin, cefoperazone/sulbactam, and meropenem should be considered for most of the Gram.negatives aerobes.Keywords: Antibiotic resistance, Antimicrobial susceptibility, Diabetic foot infection, Diabetic foot ulcer, Multidrug-resistant organism

Background China’s Ministry of Health (MOH) has established a policy about the antimicrobial stewardship. To date, the effects of this policy on multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) in critically ill patients are unknown. Methods A pre-post study was conducted on intensive care unit (ICU) patients from June 2010 to May 2011 and from June 2012 to May 2013. Bacterial cultures were conducted at ICU admission and discharge. In June 2011, our hospital started to administer the antimicrobial stewardship program of Chinese MOH. We collected the data on antimicrobial consumption during the 3-year period in all hospital and individual department every month, and analyzed the correlation between the proportion of critically patients colonized or infected with MDRO and antimicrobial consumption. Results A total of 978 patients were involved in the present study. With the intervention, the monthly mean Defined Daily Dose (DDD) per 100 occupied bed-days throughout the hospital decreased from 96 ± 7 to 65 ± 6 (p

Summary Background Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) may cause healthcare-associated infections with high mortality rates. New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase-1 (NDM-1) is among the most recently discovered carbapenemases. Aim To report the first outbreak of NDM-1 CPE in Ireland, including microbiological and epidemiological characteristics, and assessing the impact of infection prevention and control measures. Methods This was a retrospective microbiological and epidemiological review. Cases were defined as patients with a CPE-positive culture. Contacts were designated as roommates or ward mates. Findings This outbreak involved 10 patients with a median age of 71 years (range: 45–90), located in three separate but affiliated healthcare facilities. One patient was infected (the index case); the nine others were colonized. Nine NDM-1-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae , an NDM-1-producing Escherichia coli and a K. pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing Enterobacter cloacae were detected between week 24, 2014 and week 37, 2014. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis demonstrated similarity. NDM-1-positive isolates were meropenem resistant with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranging from 12 to 32 μg/mL. All were tigecycline susceptible (MICs ≤1 μg/mL). One isolate was colistin resistant (MIC 4.0 μg/mL; mcr- 1 gene not detected). In 2015, four further NDM-1 isolates were detected. Conclusion The successful management of this outbreak was achieved via the prompt implementation of enhanced infection prevention and control practices to prevent transmission. These patients did not have a history of travel outside of Ireland, but several had frequent hospitalizations in Ireland, raising concerns regarding the possibility of increasing but unrecognized prevalence of NDM-1 and potential decline in value of travel history as a marker of colonization risk.

© 2015 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Background The transmission and infection risk associated with multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) carriers necessitates surveillance and tracking to provide proper contact precautions. As MDROs increase in scope, automated electronic health record (EHR) systems may help with surveillance demands. Methods We created a system for MDROs and Clostridium difficile tracking that automated the following 3 main surveillance and tracking activities: monitoring of microbiology results and initiation of chart-based flags, ordering of contact precautions on admission, and ensuring appropriate removal of precautions. Results Automation saved 43 infection preventionist hours per 1,000 admissions, in addition to previously unquantified hours spent reviewing MDRO history for every admission. Automatic retiring of certain MDRO flags ensured removal of contact precautions after a specified time. A point-prevalence assessment for eligibility for discontinuation found that all precautions were appropriate, with none eligible for removal. By integrating microbiology data, EHR tracking flags, and automated orders, this system assured rapid and comprehensive placement of patients into contact precautions without requiring oversight by infection prevention personnel. Conclusion We show that automated systems embedded within EHRs can ensure tracking and application of appropriate contact precautions while simultaneously producing tremendous time savings for infection prevention programs.

Outbreaks of nosocomial pathogens are one of the most relevant problems in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Many factors contribute to the onset of an epidemic, including virulence of the pathogen and vulnerability of the infants hospitalized in NICU. Outbreaks are often caused by multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs). MDROs are defined as microorganisms, predominantly bacteria, that are resistant to one or more classes of antimicrobial agents. MDROs, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and certain gram-negative bacilli (GNB), have important infection control implications. Once MDROs are introduced into a healthcare setting, transmission and persistence of the resistant strain is determined by the availability of vulnerable patients, selective pressure exerted by antimicrobial use, increased potential for transmission from larger numbers of infected or colonized patients (“colonization pressure”), and the impact of adherence to prevention efforts. Often, routine infection control measures are not enough to contain outbreaks, and additional control measures are needed, including implementation of hand hygiene, cohorting of infected/colonized infants, neonatal surveillance cultures, screening of healthcare workers and decolonization of neonates and/or healthcare workers in selected cases. In this review, we report the practices we developed in our NICU to contain an epidemic. These recommendations reflect the experience of the group, as well as the findings of the current literature.