Articles

Glycerol content within the WHO ethanol-based handrub formulation: balancing tolerability with antimicrobial efficacy

The World Health Organization (WHO) ethanol-based handrub (EBHR) formulation contains 1.45% glycerol as an emollient to protect healthcare workers’ (HCWs) skin against dryness and dermatitis. However, glycerol...

Authors: Mayra Gonçalves Menegueti, Ana Maria Laus, Márcia Aparecida Ciol, Maria Auxiliadora-Martins, Anibal Basile-Filho, Elucir Gir, Daniela Pires, Didier Pittet and Fernando Bellissimo-Rodrigues

Tuberculous abdominal cocoon mimicking peritoneal carcinomatosis

Tuberculous abdominal cocoon is an uncommon manifestation of abdominal tuberculosis. As a rare clinical entity, it is often encountered unexpectedly in patients with small intestinal obstruction. Here we prese...

Authors: Zhi-Xin Meng, Yan Liu, Rui Wu, Kai Shi and Tao Li

Mortality related to Verona Integron-encoded Metallo-β-lactamase-positive Pseudomonas aeruginosa: assessment by a novel clinical tool

Verona Integron-encoded Metallo-β-lactamase-positive Pseudomonas aeruginosa (VIM-PA) can cause nosocomial infections and may be responsible for increased mortality. Multidrug resistance in VIM-PA complicates trea...

Authors: Marjolein C. Persoon, Anne F. Voor in ‘t holt, Maurits P. A. van Meer, Karen C. Bokhoven, Diederik Gommers, Margreet C. Vos and Juliëtte A. Severin

Control of MSSA and MRSA in the United States: protocols, policies, risk adjustment and excuses

Data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on March 5, 2019 showed that Staph aureus infections are a major problem in the United States, with 119,000 infections and almost 20,000 ...

Authors: Kevin T. Kavanagh

Evaluation of an in vitro model with a novel statistical approach to measure differences in bacterial survival of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli on an inanimate surface

The role of environmental contamination in the transmission of Enterobacteriaceae is increasingly recognized. However, factors influencing the duration of survival in the environment have not yet been extensiv...

Authors: Veronica Weterings, Jacobien Veenemans, Amanda Kleefman, Marjolein Kluytmans-van den Bergh, Paul Mulder, Carlo Verhulst, Ina Willemsen and Jan Kluytmans

Access-related infections in two haemodialysis units: results of a nine-year intervention and surveillance program

Access-related infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in haemodialysis patients. Our goal was to decrease the rate of these infections by implementing an intervention and surveillance program.

Authors: Ittamar Gork, Ilana Gross, Matan J. Cohen, Carmela Schwartz, Allon E. Moses, Michal Dranitzki Elhalel and Shmuel Benenson

Distribution of quinolone resistance gene (qnr) in ESBL-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp. in Lomé, Togo

Qnr genes are known to confer a low-level resistance to fluoroquinolone in Enterobacteriaceae. They are often found on the same resistance plasmids as extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) and constitute the most ...

Authors: Fortune Djimabi Salah, Serge Théophile Soubeiga, Abdoul Karim Ouattara, Adodo Yao Sadji, Amana Metuor-Dabire, Dorcas Obiri-Yeboah, Abiba Banla-Kere, Simplice Karou and Jacques Simpore

The role of patients and healthcare workers Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization in occurrence of surgical site infection among patients admitted in two centers in Tanzania

Colonization with Staphylococcus aureus has been identified as a risk for subsequent occurrence of infection. This study investigated the relationship between S. aureus colonization of patients and healthcare wor...

Authors: Nyambura Moremi, Heike Claus, Ulrich Vogel and Stephen E. Mshana

Bacteriology of community acquired pneumonia in adult patients at Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

Community acquired pneumonia (CAP) is reported as a common cause of lower respiratory tract infection worldwide. Bacterial pathogens and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) associated with this infection varied bet...

Authors: Dinbere Temesgen, Fetlewok Bereded, Awoke Derbie and Fantahun Biadglegne

Potential of innovations in hygiene management – a managerial perspective

Assessment of the current situation is crucial before introducing innovative infection prevention measures. According to the literature, hospital managers should take on the role of “power promoters” in adopti...

Authors: Luise Hutzschenreuter, Nils-Olaf Hübner, Kathleen Dittmann, Angela-Verena Hassel and Steffen Flessa

Antimicrobial susceptibility against metronidazole and carbapenem in clinical anaerobic isolates from Pakistan

Globally metronidazole and carbapenem resistance in anaerobic organisms is increasing necessitating continuous surveillance to guide selection of empirical treatment. In this study we have determined metronida...

Authors: Yusra Shafquat, Kauser Jabeen, Joveria Farooqi, Kiran Mehmood, Seema Irfan, Rumina Hasan and Afia Zafar

Extended-spectrum β-lactamase, plasmid-mediated AmpC β-lactamase, fluoroquinolone resistance, and decreased susceptibility to carbapenems in Enterobacteriaceae: fecal carriage rates and associated risk factors in the community of Northern Cyprus

Antibiotic-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in the gastrointestinal flora can lead to infections with limited therapeutic options. Also, the resistant bacteria can be transferred from colonized persons to others. The...

Authors: Emrah Ruh, Jonathan Zakka, Kujtesa Hoti, Arezou Fekrat, Emrah Guler, Umut Gazi, Zafer Erdogmus and Kaya Suer

Bacterial colonization of handheld devices in a tertiary care setting: a hygiene intervention study

Tablet computers are increasingly being used in hospital patient care and are often colonized with important human pathogens, while the impact of disinfection interventions remains controversial.

Authors: Pascal M. Frey, Grischa R. Marti, Sara Droz, Mirjam de Roche von Arx, Franziska Suter-Riniker, Drahomir Aujesky and Silvio D. Brugger

Trends in antimicrobial resistance in Israel, 2014–2017

We analyzed Israeli national data on antimicrobial susceptibility from bloodstream isolates collected between 2014 and 2017 and compared resistance proportions with those of Europe. The incidence of bloodstrea...

Authors: Yaakov Dickstein, Elizabeth Temkin, Michal Ish Shalom, David Schwartz, Yehuda Carmeli and Mitchell J. Schwaber

Gender-related risk factors for surgical site infections. Results from 10 years of surveillance in Germany

Surgical site infections (SSI) are among the most frequently occurring healthcare-associated infections worldwide. Various analyses to determine risk factors have been conducted in the past, generally attribut...

Authors: Seven Johannes Sam Aghdassi, Christin Schröder and Petra Gastmeier

CA-MRSA and HA-MRSA coexist in community and hospital settings in Uganda

Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains were once confined to hospitals however, in the last 20 years MRSA infections have emerged in the community in people with no prior exposure to hospitals...

Authors: David Patrick Kateete, Freddie Bwanga, Jeremiah Seni, Raymond Mayanja, Edgar Kigozi, Brian Mujuni, Fred K. Ashaba, Hannington Baluku, Christine F. Najjuka, Karin Källander, Elizeus Rutebemberwa, Benon B. Asiimwe and Moses L. Joloba

A multifaceted hand hygiene improvement program on the intensive care units of the National Referral Hospital of Indonesia in Jakarta

Hand hygiene (HH) is considered to be the single most effective measure in preventing healthcare-associated infections. However, HH compliance rates among nurses and doctors in hospitals are often very low. Fe...

Authors: Yulia Rosa Saharman, Damiat Aoulad Fares, Souhaib El-Atmani, Rudyanto Sedono, Dita Aditianingsih, Anis Karuniawati, Joost van Rosmalen, Henri A. Verbrugh and Juliëtte A. Severin

Effectiveness over time of a multimodal intervention to improve compliance with standard hygiene precautions in an intensive care unit of a large teaching hospital

Standard hygiene precautions are an effective way of controlling healthcare-associated infections. Nevertheless, compliance with hand hygiene (HH) guidelines among healthcare workers (HCWs) is often poor, and ...

Authors: Valentina Baccolini, Valeria D’Egidio, Pasquale de Soccio, Giuseppe Migliara, Azzurra Massimi, Francesco Alessandri, Guglielmo Tellan, Carolina Marzuillo, Corrado De Vito, Marco Vito Ranieri and Paolo Villari

Implementation of a surgical unit-based safety programme in African hospitals: a multicentre qualitative study

A Surgical Unit-based Safety Programme (SUSP) has been shown to improve perioperative prevention practices and to reduce surgical site infections (SSI). It is critical to understand the factors influencing the...

Authors: Lauren Clack, Ursina Willi, Sean Berenholtz, Alexander M. Aiken, Benedetta Allegranzi and Hugo Sax

Epidemiology and risk factors of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant enterococci infections in Zhejiang China from 2015 to 2017

Gram-positive bacteria are dangerous and challenging agents of infection due to their increasing resistance to antibiotics. We aim to analyse the epidemiology and risk factors of methicillin-resistant Staphylococ...

Authors: Lin Huang, Rong Zhang, Yanyan Hu, Hongwei Zhou, Junmin Cao, Huoyang Lv, Shi Chen, Shibiao Ding and Gongxiang Chen

Epidemiology, species distribution, antifungal susceptibility and mortality risk factors of candidemia among critically ill patients: a retrospective study from 2011 to 2017 in a teaching hospital in China

Candidemia is still a common life-threatening disease and causes significant morbidity and mortality, especially in critically ill patients. We conducted this study to analyze the epidemiology, clinical charac...

Authors: Zengli Xiao, Qi Wang, Fengxue Zhu and Youzhong An

Airborne fungal spores and invasive aspergillosis in hematologic units in a tertiary hospital during construction: a prospective cohort study

Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is an opportunistic fungal infection that mostly occurs in immunocompromised patients, such as those having hematologic malignancy or receiving hematopoietic stem cell transplantati...

Authors: Joung Ha Park, Seung Hee Ryu, Jeong Young Lee, Hyeon Jeong Kim, Sun Hee Kwak, Jiwon Jung, Jina Lee, Heungsup Sung and Sung-Han Kim

Implementation research for the prevention of antimicrobial resistance and healthcare-associated infections; 2017 Geneva infection prevention and control (IPC)-think tank (part 1)

Around 5–15% of all hospital patients worldwide suffer from healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), and years of excessive antimicrobial use in human and animal medicine have created emerging antimicrobial re...

Authors: Walter Zingg, Julie Storr, Benjamin J. Park, Raheelah Ahmad, Carolyn Tarrant, Enrique Castro-Sanchez, Sara Tomczyk, Claire Kilpatrick, Benedetta Allegranzi, Denise Cardo and Didier Pittet

Antimicrobial resistance trends in bloodstream infections at a large teaching hospital in China: a 20-year surveillance study (1998-2017)

Bacterial bloodstream infections (BSIs) cause high morbidity and mortality worldwide in humans, but the pathogenic spectrum varies from region to region. Long-term monitoring of the pathogenic spectrum and cha...

Authors: Lei Tian, Zhen Zhang and Ziyong Sun

Clinical outcomes in patients admitted to a hospitalist service exposed to an antimicrobial stewardship program – a retrospective matched cohort study

Given global issues with antimicrobial resistance and a need to optimize antimicrobial usage, antimicrobial stewardship (AS) programs are becoming a necessary component of hospitals and are increasingly mandat...

Authors: E. Rennert-May, J. Conly, G. Chen and B. Dalton

Control of Acinetobacter baumannii outbreak in the neonatal intensive care unit in Latvia: whole-genome sequencing powered investigation and closure of the ward

Acinetobacter baumannii is an emerging pathogen capable of causing hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). It has the ability to survive on environmental surfaces for months, making transmission difficult to control...

Authors: A. Gramatniece, I. Silamikelis, Ie. Zahare, V. Urtans, Ir. Zahare, E. Dimina, M. Saule, A. Balode, I. Radovica-Spalvina, J. Klovins, D. Fridmanis and U. Dumpis

Technology for the prevention of antimicrobial resistance and healthcare-associated infections; 2017 Geneva IPC-Think Tank (Part 2)

The high burden of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is partially due to excessive antimicrobial use both in human and animal medicine worldwide. How can technology hel...

Authors: Walter Zingg, Benjamin J. Park, Julie Storr, Raheelah Ahmad, Carolyn Tarrant, Enrique Castro-Sanchez, Eli Perencevich, Andreas Widmer, Karl-Heinz Krause, Claire Kilpatrick, Sara Tomczyk, Benedetta Allegranzi, Denise Cardo and Didier Pittet

Effectiveness of an edutainment video teaching standard precautions – a randomized controlled evaluation study

Standard precautions are essential to prevent pathogen transmission and nosocomial infections. We assessed learning effect (primary outcome) and satisfaction (secondary outcome) of watching a 5-min humorous “e...

Authors: Aline Wolfensberger, Alexia Anagnostopoulos, Lauren Clack, Marie-Theres Meier, Stefan P. Kuster and Hugo Sax

Patterns in the longitudinal oropharyngeal microbiome evolution related to ventilator-associated pneumonia

The aim of the study was to evaluate the composition and the temporal evolution of the oropharyngeal microbiome in antibiotic-naïve patients requiring mechanical ventilation and to gain new insights into the p...

Authors: Rami Sommerstein, Tobias M. Merz, Sabine Berger, Julia G. Kraemer, Jonas Marschall and Markus Hilty

Distribution of bla_{CTX − M}, bla_TEM, bla_SHV and bla_OXA genes in Extended-spectrum-β-lactamase-producing Clinical isolates: A three-year multi-center study from Lahore, Pakistan

Frequency of extended-spectrum-β-lactamase-producing clinical isolates is increasing worldwide. This is a multi-center study which was aimed to check the frequency of third-generation cephalosporin resistance and...

Authors: Samyyia Abrar, Noor Ul Ain, Huma Liaqat, Shahida Hussain, Farhan Rasheed and Saba Riaz

“Enhanced acquisition of antibiotic-resistant intestinal E. coli during the first year of life assessed in a prospective cohort study”

Increasing bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a serious problem worldwide. We sought to record the acquisition of antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli (E. coli) in healthy infants in Northern Thailand and in...

Authors: Benjamin Hetzer, Dorothea Orth-Höller, Reinhard Würzner, Peter Kreidl, Michaela Lackner, Thomas Müller, Ludwig Knabl, Daniel Rudolf Geisler-Moroder, Alexander Mellmann, Özcan Sesli, Jeanett Holzknecht, Damia Noce, Orawan Boonpala, Noppadon Akarathum, Somporn Chotinaruemol, Martina Prelog…

Derivation and validation of a simple score to predict the presence of bacteria requiring carbapenem treatment in ICU-acquired bloodstream infection and pneumonia: CarbaSCORE

The recommendations of learned societies mention risk factors for the presence of multidrug resistant bacteria in hospital-acquired infections, but they do not propose a scoring system to guide empiric antibio...

Authors: Laura Teysseyre, Cyril Ferdynus, Guillaume Miltgen, Thomas Lair, Thomas Aujoulat, Nathalie Lugagne, Nicolas Allou and Jérôme Allyn

Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus meningitis after needlestick injury: a case report

Needlestick accidents while handling of infectious material in research laboratories can lead to life-threatening infections in laboratory personnel. In laboratories working with the lymphocytic choriomeningit...

Authors: Sarah Dräger, Anna-Friederike Marx, Fiona Pigny, Pascal Cherpillod, Philip Eisermann, Parham Sendi and Andreas F. Widmer

Antibiotics versus biofilm: an emerging battleground in microbial communities

Biofilm is a complex structure of microbiome having different bacterial colonies or single type of cells in a group; adhere to the surface. These cells are embedded in extracellular polymeric substances, a mat...

Authors: Divakar Sharma, Lama Misba and Asad U. Khan

Operating room technician trainees teach medical students - an inter-professional peer teaching approach for infection prevention strategies in the operation room

Education is a cornerstone strategy to prevent health-associated infections. Trainings benefit from being interactive, simulation-based, team-orientated, and early in professional socialization. We conceived a...

Authors: Jan Breckwoldt, Monika Knecht, Ralph Massée, Barbara Flach, Caroline Hofmann-Huber, Sylvia Kaap-Fröhlich, Claudia M. Witt, Ruth Aeberhard and Hugo Sax

Broadening the infection prevention and control network globally; 2017 Geneva IPC-think tank (part 3)

Healthcare-associated infection (HAI) is a major challenge for patient safety worldwide, and is further complicated by antimicrobial resistance (AMR) due to excessive antimicrobial use in both humans and anima...

Authors: Walter Zingg, Julie Storr, Benjamin J. Park, John A. Jernigan, Stephan Harbarth, M. Lindsay Grayson, Evelina Tacconelli, Benedetta Allegranzi, Denise Cardo and Didier Pittet

A national survey on the implementation of key infection prevention and control structures in German hospitals: results from 736 hospitals conducting the WHO Infection Prevention and Control Assessment Framework (IPCAF)

Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) pose a burden on healthcare providers worldwide. To prevent HAI and strengthen infection prevention and control (IPC) structures, the WHO has developed a variety of tools...

Authors: Seven Johannes Sam Aghdassi, Sonja Hansen, Peter Bischoff, Michael Behnke and Petra Gastmeier

Network meta-analysis and pharmacoeconomic evaluation of antibiotics for the treatment of patients infected with complicated skin and soft structure infection and hospital-acquired or ventilator-associated penumonia

Infections due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) cause serious health risks and significant economic burdens and the preferred drugs are still controversial.

Authors: Ying Zhang, Yan Wang, Mieke L. Van Driel, Treasure M. McGuire, Tao Zhang, Yuzhu Dong, Yang Liu, Leichao Liu, Ruifang Hao, Lu Cao, Jianfeng Xing and Yalin Dong

Overprescribing antibiotics for asymptomatic bacteriuria in older adults: a case series review of admissions in two UK hospitals

Overdiagnosis and overtreatment of urinary tract infection (UTI) with antibiotics is a concern. In older adults, diagnosis of UTI using near-patient urine tests (reagent strip tests, dipsticks) is advised agai...

Authors: Emily Rousham, Michael Cooper, Emily Petherick, Paula Saukko and Beryl Oppenheim

Scrutinizing the drug resistance mechanism of multi- and extensively-drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis: mutations versus efflux pumps

In order to shorten the course of treatment and its effectiveness, it is essential to gain an in-depth insight into the drug resistance mechanisms of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis).

Authors: Hasan Ghajavand, Mansour Kargarpour Kamakoli, Sharareh Khanipour, Shahin Pourazar Dizaji, Morteza Masoumi, Fatemeh Rahimi Jamnani, Abolfazl Fateh, Mehdi Yaseri, Seyed Davar Siadat and Farzam Vaziri

Risk factors for surgical site infection after craniotomy: a prospective cohort study

Although surgical site infection after craniotomy (SSI-CRAN) is a serious complication, risk factors for its development have not been well defined. We aim to identify the risk factors for developing SSI-CRAN ...

Authors: Emilio Jiménez-Martínez, Guillermo Cuervo, Ana Hornero, Pilar Ciercoles, Andres Gabarrós, Carmen Cabellos, Ivan Pelegrin, Dolores García-Somoza, Jordi Adamuz, Jordi Carratalà and Miquel Pujol

A retrospective analysis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bloodstream infections: prevalence, risk factors, and outcome in carbapenem-susceptible and -non-susceptible infections

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) is a leading cause of nosocomial infections, and carbapenem non-susceptible strains are a major threat to patient safety.

Authors: Qingyi Shi, Chen Huang, Tingting Xiao, Zhenzhu Wu and Yonghong Xiao

Assessment of knowledge and attitude trends towards antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among the community members, pharmacists/pharmacy owners and physicians in district Sialkot, Pakistan

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an emerging threat to public health worldwide. A significant evidence has suggested that the knowledge and attitude trends among the community, pharmacists and physicians can ...

Authors: Hassan Waseem, Jafar Ali, Fiza Sarwar, Aroosa Khan, Hamza Saleem Ur Rehman, Mishal Choudri, Nooh Arif, Muhammad Subhan, Aansa Rukya Saleem, Asif Jamal and Muhammad Ishtiaq Ali

In vitro polymyxin activity against clinical multidrug-resistant fungi

Although antifungals are available and usually used against fungal infections, multidrug-resistant (MDR) fungal pathogens are a growing problem for public health. Moreover, fungal infections have become more p...

Authors: Hanane Yousfi, Stéphane Ranque, Jean-Marc Rolain and Fadi Bittar

The species distribution, antimicrobial resistance and risk factors for poor outcome of coagulase-negative staphylococci bacteraemia in China

Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are one of the major opportunistic pathogens and the incidence of CoNS bacteraemia is increasing. However, most of the CoNS-positive blood cultures are contaminants rath...

Authors: Jiewei Cui, Zhixin Liang, Zhenfei Mo and Jianpeng Zhang

“Clean care for all-it’s in your hands”: the May 5th, 2019 World Health Organization SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands campaign

Authors: Alexandra Peters, Tcheun Borzykowski, Ermira Tartari, Claire Kilpatrick, Safiah Hwai Chuen Mai, Benedetta Allegranzi and Didier Pittet

The association between adherence to national antibiotic guidelines and mortality, readmission and length of stay in hospital inpatients: results from a Norwegian multicentre, observational cohort study

Clinical antibiotic prescribing guidelines are essential in defining responsible use in the local context. Our objective was to investigate the association between adherence to national antibiotic prescribing ...

Authors: Jannicke Slettli Wathne, Stig Harthug, Lars Kåre Selland Kleppe, Hege Salvesen Blix, Roy M. Nilsen, Esmita Charani and Ingrid Smith

Doxycycline-encapsulated solid lipid nanoparticles as promising tool against Brucella melitensis enclosed in macrophage: a pharmacodynamics study on J774A.1 cell line

Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease caused by Brucella species. It has been estimated that more than 500,000 new cases of Brucellosis occur annually all around the world. Relapse of the disease is one of the most i...

Authors: Seyed Mostafa Hosseini, Roghayyeh Abbasalipourkabir, Farid Azizi Jalilian, Sara Soleimani Asl, Abbas Farmany, Ghodratollah Roshanaei and Mohammad Reza Arabestani

Shifting trends and age distribution of ESKAPEEc resistance in bloodstream infection, Southwest China, 2012–2017

ESKAPEEc contribute to a majority of bloodstream infections (BSIs) and their antibiogram have changed overtime, while data concerning about these alterations are lacking in China. Added that a paucity of studi...

Authors: Shuangshuang Yang, Haofeng Xu, Jide Sun and Shan Sun

Molecular characterization of class 1, 2 and 3 integrons in clinical multi-drug resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates

The aim of this study was to characterize class 1,2 and 3 integrons in clinical MDR Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates in Kashan, Iran.

Authors: Farzaneh Firoozeh, Zeinab Mahluji, Ahmad Khorshidi and Mohammad Zibaei