Articles

Phenotype-genotype correlations among carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales recovered from four Egyptian hospitals with the report of SPM carbapenemase

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE), currently listed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as top priority critical pathogens, are a major global menace to human health. In low- and middle-income cou...

Authors: Neveen A. Abdelaziz

The challenge of preventing and containing outbreaks of multidrug-resistant organisms and Candida auris during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic: report of a carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii outbreak and a systematic review of the literature

Despite the adoption of strict infection prevention and control measures, many hospitals have reported outbreaks of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) during the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Followi...

Authors: Reto Thoma, Marco Seneghini, Salomé N. Seiffert, Danielle Vuichard Gysin, Giulia Scanferla, Sabine Haller, Domenica Flury, Katia Boggian, Gian-Reto Kleger, Miodrag Filipovic, Oliver Nolte, Matthias Schlegel and Philipp Kohler

Antibiotic-resistance in medically important bacteria isolated from commercial herbal medicines in Africa from 2000 to 2021: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Antimicrobial resistance is swiftly increasing all over the world. In Africa, it manifests more in pathogenic bacteria in form of antibiotic resistance (ABR). On this continent, bacterial contamination of comm...

Authors: Abdul Walusansa, Savina Asiimwe, Jesca. L. Nakavuma, Jamilu. E. Ssenku, Esther Katuura, Hussein. M. Kafeero, Dickson Aruhomukama, Alice Nabatanzi, Godwin Anywar, Arthur K. Tugume and Esezah K. Kakudidi

Reliability and validity of multicentre surveillance of surgical site infections after colorectal surgery

Surveillance is the cornerstone of surgical site infection prevention programs. The validity of the data collection and awareness of vulnerability to inter-rater variation is crucial for correct interpretation...

Authors: Janneke D. M. Verberk, Stephanie M. van Rooden, David J. Hetem, Herman F. Wunderink, Anne L. M. Vlek, Corianne Meijer, Eva A. H. van Ravensbergen, Elisabeth G. W. Huijskens, Saara J. Vainio, Marc J. M. Bonten and Maaike S. M. van Mourik

Risk factors for nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 infections in patients: results from a retrospective matched case–control study in a tertiary care university center

Factors contributing to the spread of SARS-CoV-2 outside the acute care hospital setting have been described in detail. However, data concerning risk factors for nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 infections in hospitalize...

Authors: Seven Johannes Sam Aghdassi, Frank Schwab, Luis Alberto Peña Diaz, Annika Brodzinski, Giovanni-Battista Fucini, Sonja Hansen, Britta Kohlmorgen, Brar Piening, Beate Schlosser, Sandra Schneider, Beate Weikert, Miriam Wiese-Posselt, Sebastian Wolff, Michael Behnke, Petra Gastmeier and Christine Geffers

Prevalence and characterization of antimicrobial resistance among gram-negative bacteria isolated from febrile hospitalized patients in central Ethiopia

Infectious diseases are among the leading causes of death in many low-income countries, such as Ethiopia. Without reliable local data concerning causative pathogens and antimicrobial resistance, empiric treatm...

Authors: Tafese Beyene Tufa, Colin R. Mackenzie, Hans Martin Orth, Tobias Wienemann, Tamara Nordmann, Sileshi Abdissa, Zewdu Hurissa, Andreas Schönfeld, Matthias Bosselmann, Dieter Häussinger, Klaus Pfeffer, Tom Luedde, Andre Fuchs and Torsten Feldt

Approaches to multidrug-resistant organism prevention and control in long-term care facilities for older people: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Despite clear evidence of benefits in acute-care hospitals, controversy over the effectiveness of IPC measures for MDROs is perceptible and evidence-based practice has not been established.

Authors: Valerie Wing Yu Wong, Ying Huang, Wan In Wei, Samuel Yeung Shan Wong and Kin On Kwok

Healthcare institutions’ recommendation regarding the use of FFP-2 masks and SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity among healthcare workers: a multicenter longitudinal cohort study

Health care workers (HCW) are heavily exposed to SARS-CoV-2 from the beginning of the pandemic. We aimed to analyze risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion among HCW with a special emphasis on the respectiv...

Authors: Katarzyna Szajek, Felix Fleisch, Sandra Hutter, Martin Risch, Theresa Bechmann, Valerie A. Luyckx, Sabine Güsewell, Cédric Hirzel, Alexia Cusini and AMICO Study Group

Efficacy of mupirocin, neomycin and octenidine for nasal Staphylococcus aureus decolonisation: a retrospective cohort study

Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) causes significant morbidity. Methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) is the most frequent organism, and the majority are endogenous. Decolonisation reduces PJIs bu...

Authors: J. Allport, R. Choudhury, P. Bruce-Wootton, M. Reed, D. Tate and A. Malviya

Silica nanoparticles with encapsulated DNA (SPED) to trace the spread of pathogens in healthcare

To establish effective infection control protocols, understanding pathogen transmission pathways is essential. Non-infectious surrogate tracers may safely explore these pathways and challenge pre-existing assu...

Authors: Cinzia Ullrich, Anne M. Luescher, Julian Koch, Robert N. Grass and Hugo Sax

What matters: non-pharmaceutical interventions for COVID-19 in Europe

The purpose of this study is to describe the situation of COVID-19 in European countries and to identify important factors related to prevention and control.

Authors: Yan Liu, Qiuyan Yu, Haoyu Wen, Fang Shi, Fang Wang, Yudi Zhao, Qiumian Hong and Chuanhua Yu

Droplet precautions on-site (DroPS) during the influenza season 2018/2019: a possible alternative to single room isolation for respiratory viral infections

The guideline-driven and widely implemented single room isolation strategy for respiratory viral infections (RVI) such as influenza or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can lead to a shortage of available hosp...

Authors: Michèle Birrer, Martin Perrig, Fabienne Hobi, Christina Gfeller, Andrew Atkinson, Martin Egger, Corinne Bartholdi, Drahomir Aujesky, Jonas Marschall and Rami Sommerstein

Extensive outbreak of colistin resistant, carbapenemase (bla_OXA-48, bla_NDM) producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in a large tertiary care hospital, India

Extensive drug resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) causing major outbreaks in large hospitals is an emerging challenge. We describe a near fatal outbreak of colistin resistant, carbapenem resistan...

Authors: Swati Sharma, Tuhina Banerjee, Ashok Kumar, Ghanshyam Yadav and Sriparna Basu

Late breaking abstracts from the 6th international conference on prevention & infection control (ICPIC 2021)

Authors:

A narrative review on current duodenoscope reprocessing techniques and novel developments

Duodenoscopy-associated infections occur worldwide despite strict adherence to reprocessing standards. The exact scope of the problem remains unknown because a standardized sampling protocol and uniform sampli...

Authors: Maarten Heuvelmans, Herman F. Wunderink, Henny C. van der Mei and Jan F. Monkelbaan

Preparing for future waves and pandemics: a global hospital survey on infection control measures and infection rates in COVID-19

A survey of hospitals on three continents was performed to assess their infection control preparedness and measures, and their infection rate in hospital health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. All ...

Authors: Simon Matoori, Daniel R. Kuritzkes, Yonggeng Goh, Swee Tian Quek, Liang Wang, Ziyan Sun, Fabiano di Marco, Daniela Borleri, Sabrina Buoro, Stefano Fagiuoli, Tatiana Ferrari, Marco Rizzi, Federico Raimondi, Simonetta Cesa, Dow-Mu Koh, Johannes M. Froehlich…

Prevalence of antimicrobial resistance and its clinical implications in Ethiopia: a systematic review

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the major public health challenges in Ethiopia. However, there is no comprehensive summary of existing AMR data in the country.

Authors: Derbew Fikadu Berhe, Getachew Tesfaye Beyene, Berhanu Seyoum, Meseret Gebre, Kassa Haile, Mulugeta Tsegaye, Minyahil Tadesse Boltena, Emawayish Tesema, Taddele Cherinet Kibret, Mulatu Biru, Dawd S. Siraj, Daniel Shirley, Rawleigh Howe and Alemseged Abdissa

Appropriate number of observations for determining hand hygiene compliance among healthcare workers

We sought to determine the minimum number of observations needed to determine hand hygiene (HH) compliance among healthcare workers. The study was conducted at a referral hospital in South Korea. We retrospect...

Authors: Se Yoon Park, Suyeon Park, Beom Seuk Hwang, Eunjung Lee, Tae Hyong Kim and Sungho Won

A hospital-wide outbreak of IMI-17-producing Enterobacter ludwigii in an Israeli hospital

To describe the course and intervention of an hospital-wide IMI-Producing Enterobacter ludwigii outbreak.

Authors: Vered Schechner, Katya Levytskyi, Ohad Shalom, Alexander Yalek and Amos Adler

Demographic, clinical, and paraclinical characteristics of COVID-19 pediatric cases in southeast Iran

Even though children seem to be less vulnerable to the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection, still a diverse range of clinical presentations and symptoms have been reported in children. Few studies as...

Authors: Gholamreza Soleimani, Fatemeh Akbarirad, Elham Shafighi Shahri and Seyyed Masoud Sajjadi

Are coveralls required as personal protective equipment during the management of COVID-19 patients?

Few studies have investigated the contamination of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the management of patients with severe-to-critical coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This study aimed to determine th...

Authors: Jongtak Jung, Kyoung-Ho Song, Hyeonju Jeong, Sin Young Ham, Eu Suk Kim and Hong Bin Kim

Infection prevention strategies are highly protective in COVID-19 units while main risks to healthcare professionals come from coworkers and the community

Early evaluations of healthcare professional (HCP) COVID-19 risk occurred during insufficient personal protective equipment and disproportionate testing, contributing to perceptions of high patient-care relate...

Authors: Shruti K. Gohil, Kathleen A. Quan, Keith M. Madey, Suzanne King-Adelsohn, Tom Tjoa, Delia Tifrea, Bridgit O. Crews, Edwin S. Monuki, Saahir Khan, Sebastian D. Schubl, Cassiana E. Bittencourt, Neil Detweiler, Wayne Chang, Lynn Willis, Usme Khusbu, Antonella Saturno…

Clonal spread of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae among patients at admission and discharge at a Vietnamese neonatal intensive care unit

The increasing prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) is a growing problem globally, particularly in low- to middle-income countries (LMICs). Previous studies have shown high rates of CRE ...

Authors: Björn Berglund, Ngoc Thi Bich Hoang, Ludwig Lundberg, Ngai Kien Le, Maria Tärnberg, Maud Nilsson, Elin Bornefall, Dung Thi Khanh Khu, Jenny Welander, Hai Thanh Le, Linus Olson, Tran Minh Dien, Lennart E. Nilsson, Mattias Larsson and Håkan Hanberger

Assessment of knowledge and implementation practices of the ventilator acquired pneumonia (VAP) bundle in the intensive care unit of a private hospital

Studies have shown that a ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) bundle significantly decreases VAP rates. In this study, we evaluated existing knowledge, practices, and adherence of nurses and infection contro...

Authors: Cybele Lara Abad, Cordella P. Formalejo and Dan Meynard L. Mantaring

Real-world experience of how chlorhexidine bathing affects the acquisition and incidence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in a medical intensive care unit with VRE endemicity: a prospective interrupted time-series study

Critically ill patients in intensive care units (ICUs) often acquire opportunistic infections or are colonized by vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), which limits therapeutic options and results in high ca...

Authors: Jin Woong Suh, Nam Hee Kim, Min Jung Lee, Seoung Eun Lee, Byung Chul Chun, Chang Kyu Lee, Juneyoung Lee, Jong Hun Kim, Sun Bean Kim, Young Kyung Yoon, Jang Wook Sohn and Min Ja Kim

Management of donations of personal protective equipment in response to the massive shortage during the COVID-19 health crisis: providing quality equipment to health care workers

In the COVID-19 pandemic context, a massive shortage of personal protective equipment occurred. To increase the available stocks, several countries appealed for donations from individuals or industries. While ...

Authors: Guillaume Cambien, Jérémy Guihenneuc, Xavier Fouassin, Olivier Castel, Anne Bousseau and Sarah Ayraud-Thevenot

Assessing the accuracy of a new hand hygiene monitoring device (SmartRub®): from the laboratory to clinical practice

We developed SmartRub® powered by iQati®, an electronic device composed of a wristband and an alcohol-based handrub pocket-sized dispenser that measures and provides feedback on the duration of hand friction a...

Authors: Chloé Guitart, Yves-Alain Robert, Nasim Lotfinejad, Simon Fourquier, Yves Martin, Daniela Pires, Julien Sauser, René Beuchat and Didier Pittet

Staphylococcus aureus - selective reporting of antibiogram results and its impact on antibiotic use: Interventional study with a reference group on the effect of switching from non-selective to selective antibiotic reporting

Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) strategies worldwide focus on optimising the use of antibiotics. Selective susceptibility reporting is recommended as an effective AMS tool although there is a lack of represent...

Authors: Franka Lestin-Bernstein, Ramona Harberg, Ingo Schumacher, Lutz Briedigkeit, Oliver Heese and Kristina Biedermann

The effect of eye protection on SARS-CoV-2 transmission: a systematic review

The effect of eye protection to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection in the real-world remains uncertain. We aimed to synthesize all available research on the potential impact of eye protection on transmission of SARS...

Authors: Oyungerel Byambasuren, Elaine Beller, Justin Clark, Peter Collignon and Paul Glasziou

Low frequency of community-acquired bacterial co-infection in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 based on clinical, radiological and microbiological criteria: a retrospective cohort study

We defined the frequency of respiratory community-acquired bacterial co-infection in patients with COVID-19, i.e. patients with a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR or a COVID-19 Reporting and Data System (CO-RADS) score...

Authors: Sophie Coenen, Jara R. de la Court, David T. P. Buis, Lilian J. Meijboom, Rogier P. Schade, Caroline E. Visser, Reinier van Hest, Marianne Kuijvenhoven, Jan M. Prins, Suzan F. M. Nijman, Elske Sieswerda and Kim C. E. Sigaloff

Antibiotic consumption in long-term care facilities in Poland and other European countries in 2017

The aim of this research study was to compare the situation concerning the use of microbiology testing, the epidemiology of healthcare-associated infection (HAI) and antimicrobial consumption (AMC) in Polish l...

Authors: Jadwiga Wojkowska-Mach, Michał Brudło, Mariusz Topolski, Tomasz Bochenek, Estera Jachowicz, Małgorzata Siewierska and Anna Różańska

Risk factors for colonization with multiple species of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing Enterobacterales: a case-case–control study

Approximately 11% of patients colonized with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-PE) are colonized with more than one ESBL-producing species. We investigated risk factors associat...

Authors: Isabelle Vock, Lisandra Aguilar-Bultet, Adrian Egli, Pranita D. Tamma and Sarah Tschudin-Sutter

Drivers of global media attention and representations for antimicrobial resistance risk: an analysis of online English and Chinese news media data, 2015–2018

How antimicrobial resistance (AMR) risk is communicated in news media can shape public understanding and the engagement of different sectors with AMR. This study examined online news media attention for AMR ri...

Authors: Qiuyan Liao, Jiehu Yuan, Meihong Dong, Pauline Paterson and Wendy Wing Tak Lam

Nosocomial cluster of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacter cloacae in an intensive care unit dedicated COVID-19

Concomitant prevention of SARS-CoV-2 and extensively drug-resistant bacteria transmission is a difficult challenge in intensive care units dedicated to COVID-19 patients. We report a nosocomial cluster of four...

Authors: Guillaume Miltgen, Thomas Garrigos, Pascal Cholley, Marine Deleume, Nicolas Allou, Jérôme Allyn, David A. Wilkinson, Nathalie Lugagne, Olivier Belmonte, Xavier Bertrand, Didier Hocquet and Patrick Mavingui

A pre-pandemic COVID-19 assessment of the costs of prevention and control interventions for healthcare associated infections in medical and surgical wards in Québec

Healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) present a major public health problem that significantly affects patients, health care providers and the entire healthcare system. Infection prevention and control prog...

Authors: Eric Tchouaket Nguemeleu, Stephanie Robins, Sandra Boivin, Drissa Sia, Kelley Kilpatrick, Bruno Dubreuil, Catherine Larouche, Natasha Parisien and Josiane Letourneau

Droplets generated from toilets during urination as a possible vehicle of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae

In the health care setting, infection control actions are fundamental for containing the dissemination of multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDR). Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE), especially Klebsiella ...

Authors: Fabio Arena, Anna Rita Daniela Coda, Valentina Meschini, Roberto Verzicco and Arcangelo Liso

Epidemiology of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli from repeated prevalence studies over 11 years in a long-term-care facility

Escherichia coli sequence type (ST) 131 H30 is an emerging multidrug resistant subclone, known to spread and cause outbreaks in long-term care facilities (LTCFs).

Authors: Romain Martischang, Patrice François, Abdessalam Cherkaoui, Nadia Gaïa, Gesuele Renzi, Americo Agostinho, Monica Perez, Christophe E. Graf and Stephan Harbarth

ESBL/pAmpC-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae carriage among veterinary healthcare workers in the Netherlands

Animals are a reservoir for ESBL/pAmpC-producing Escherichia coli/Klebsiella pneumoniae (ESBL-E/K). We investigated the association between occupational contact with different types of animals and the prevalence ...

Authors: Anouk P. Meijs, Esther F. Gijsbers, Paul D. Hengeveld, Cindy M. Dierikx, Sabine C. de Greeff and Engeline van Duijkeren

Economic impact of a care bundle to prevent surgical site infection after craniotomy: a cost-analysis study

Surgical site infections after craniotomy (SSI-CRAN) significantly impact patient outcomes and healthcare costs by increasing length of stay and readmission and reoperation rates. However, to our knowledge, no...

Authors: Emilio Jiménez-Martínez, Guillermo Cuervo, Jordi Carratalà, Ana Hornero, Pilar Ciercoles, Andreu Gabarrós, Carmen Cabellos, Ivan Pelegrin, Maria Angeles Domínguez-Luzón, Jordi Càmara, Ramon Moreno-Fuentes, Jordi Adamuz and Miquel Pujol

Impact of interprofessional service-learning on the effectiveness of knowledge transfer of antimicrobial resistance to Hong Kong elders: a quasi-experiment

Community perception on antimicrobials plays a role in driving the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of interprofessional service-learning on the ef...

Authors: Anna C. Y. Lo, Joyce T. S. Li, Janita P. C. Chau, Samuel Y. S. Wong, David S. C. Hui and Vivian W. Y. Lee

Decontaminating N95/FFP2 masks for reuse during the COVID-19 epidemic: a systematic review

With the current COVID-19 pandemic, many healthcare facilities have been lacking a steady supply of filtering facepiece respirators. To better address this challenge, the decontamination and reuse of these res...

Authors: Alexandra Peters, Nasim Lotfinejad, Rafael Palomo, Walter Zingg, Pierre Parneix, Hervé Ney and Didier Pittet

An outbreak investigation of Burkholderia cepacia infections related with contaminated chlorhexidine mouthwash solution in a tertiary care center in Turkey

We report a nosocomial outbreak caused by Burkholderia cepacia that occurred among six patients admitted in the medical and surgical intensive care unit between 04 March 2019 and 02 April 2019 in Istanbul, Turkey...

Authors: Hüseyin Bilgin, Gülşen Altınkanat Gelmez, Fatma Bayrakdar, Elvan Sayın, Fethi Gül, Nazlı Pazar, Gülcan Çulha, Serap Süzük Yıldız, Ismail Cinel and Volkan Korten

Overuse of antibiotics in maternity and neonatal wards, a descriptive report from public hospitals in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Overuse of antibiotics is a major challenge and undermines measures to control drug resistance worldwide. Postnatal women and newborns are at risk of infections and are often prescribed prophylactic antibiotic...

Authors: Mwaka A. Kakolwa, Susannah L. Woodd, Alexander M. Aiken, Fatuma Manzi, Giorgia Gon, Wendy J. Graham and Abdunoor M. Kabanywanyi

Case report of the first cured patient with Mycobacterium Chimaera infection following cardiac valve replacement in the mainland of China

Mycobacterium chimaera infections subsequent to cardiac surgery are related to contaminated heater-cooler devices, with high mortality. Nevertheless, few studies have been reported in Asia.

Authors: Di Lu, Chun-Hong Zhang, Li-Jiang Chen, Pei-Feng Jin, Xia-Fei Feng, Xi Zhou, Wei-Cong Huang, Jue Wang, Ying Dai and Yun Fu

Effectiveness of chlorhexidine in preventing infections among patients undergoing cardiac surgeries: a meta-analysis and systematic review

Although several meta-analyses reported the impact of chlorhexidine (CHX) use in patients undergoing various types of surgery, no meta-analysis summarized the overall effectiveness of CHX specifically for card...

Authors: Jianhua Wei, Lingying He, Fengxia Weng, Fangfang Huang and Peng Teng

Beyond the operating room: do hospital characteristics have an impact on surgical site infections after colorectal surgery? A systematic review

Hospital characteristics have been recognized as potential risk factors for surgical site infection for over 20 years. However, most research has focused on patient and procedural risk factors. Understanding h...

Authors: Rui Malheiro, Bárbara Peleteiro and Sofia Correia

Assessing the impact of the Global Point Prevalence Survey of Antimicrobial Consumption and Resistance (Global-PPS) on hospital antimicrobial stewardship programmes: results of a worldwide survey

The Global Point Prevalence Survey of Antimicrobial Consumption and Resistance (Global-PPS) provides a methodology to support hospitals worldwide in collecting antimicrobial use data. We aim to evaluate the im...

Authors: Ines Pauwels, Ann Versporten, Helene Vermeulen, Erika Vlieghe and Herman Goossens

Rapid reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 variant-of-concern Alpha detected in a nurse during an outbreak at a non-covid inpatient ward: lessons learned

We describe the lessons learned during a SARS-CoV-2 variant-of-concern Alpha outbreak investigation at a normal care unit in a university hospital in Amsterdam in December 2020. The outbreak consisted of nine ...

Authors: Jelle Koopsen, Mireille Dekker, Philip Thung, Marcel Jonges, Harry Vennema, Tjalling Leenstra, Dirk Eggink, Matthijs R. A. Welkers, Peter A. A. Struijs, Chantal Reusken, Rosa van Mansfeld, Menno D. de Jong, Janke Schinkel and Ingrid J. B. Spijkerman

Effectiveness of topical vancomycin in the prevention of spinal surgical site infections: a retrospective cohort study

The risk of surgical site infections (SSIs), particularly methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) SSIs, after spinal surgeries is one of the most daunting experiences to patients and surgeons. Some aut...

Authors: Rawan T. Tafish, Ahmed F. Alkhaldi, Anouar Bourghli and Turki A. Althunian

Mechanical ventilation-associated pneumonia caused by Acinetobacter baumannii in Northeast China region: analysis of genotype and drug resistance of bacteria and patients’ clinical features over 7 years

To investigate the clinical features and outcomes of patients with mechanical ventilation-associated pneumonia (VAP) caused by Acinetobacter baumannii (Ab), and to characterize the drug resistance of pathogenic s...

Authors: Tao Zhang, Xiao Xu, Cai-Fang Xu, Salisu Rabiu Bilya and Wei Xu