Articles

Colonisation with pathogenic drug-resistant bacteria and Clostridioides difficile among residents of residential care facilities in Cape Town, South Africa: a cross-sectional prevalence study

Residential care facilities (RCFs) act as reservoirs for multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO). There are scarce data on colonisation with MDROs in Africa. We aimed to determine the prevalence of MDROs and C. diff...

Authors: Jason September, Leon Geffen, Kathryn Manning, Preneshni Naicker, Cheryl Faro, Marc Mendelson and Sean Wasserman

User-centred participatory design of visual cues for isolation precautions

Isolation precautions are intended to prevent transmission of infectious agents, yet healthcare provider (HCP) adherence remains suboptimal. This may be due to ambiguity regarding the required precautions or t...

Authors: Lauren Clack, Manuel Stühlinger, Marie-Theres Meier, Aline Wolfensberger and Hugo Sax

Development of a reference data set for assigning Streptococcus and Enterococcus species based on next generation sequencing of the 16S–23S rRNA region

Many members of Streptococcus and Enterococcus genera are clinically relevant opportunistic pathogens warranting accurate and rapid identification for targeted therapy. Currently, the developed method based on ne...

Authors: Maja Kosecka-Strojek, Artur J. Sabat, Viktoria Akkerboom, Anna M. D. (Mirjam) Kooistra-Smid, Jacek Miedzobrodzki and Alexander W. Friedrich

Effectiveness of a Ward level target accountability strategy for hand hygiene

Hand hygiene is a simple and effective solution in prevention of Multi Drug Resistant Organisms. Hand Hygiene campaigns have mostly taken the form of a generalised hospital approach with visual reminders and r...

Authors: Surinder M. S. Kaur Pada, Poh Ling Chee, Sarathemani Rathenam, Kim Sim Ng, Lilibeth Silagan Alenton, Lishi Poh and Paul Anatharajah Tambyah

Gradient diffusion antibiogram used directly on bronchial aspirates for a rapid diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia

In patients with suspected ventilator-associated pneumonia, a rapid etiological diagnosis is crucial as incorrect or delayed treatment in the first few hours leads to a worse prognosis and a higher mortality r...

Authors: Almudena Burillo, Viviana de Egea, Raffaella Onori, Pablo Martín-Rabadán, Emilia Cercenado, Laura Jiménez-Navarro, Patricia Muñoz and Emilio Bouza

Risk prediction for 30-day mortality among patients with Clostridium difficile infections: a retrospective cohort study

Current guidelines have unsatisfied performance in predicting severe outcomes after Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). Our objectives were to develop a risk prediction model for 30-day mortality and to examin...

Authors: Hsiu-Yin Chiang, Han-Chun Huang, Chih-Wei Chung, Yi-Chun Yeh, Yi-Chin Chen, Ni Tien, Hsiu-Shan Lin, Mao-Wang Ho and Chin-Chi Kuo

APSIC guidelines for the prevention of surgical site infections

The Asia Pacific Society of Infection Control (APSIC) launched the APSIC Guidelines for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infections in 2018. This document describes the guidelines and recommendations for the se...

Authors: Moi Lin Ling, Anucha Apisarnthanarak, Azlina Abbas, Keita Morikane, Kil Yeon Lee, Anup Warrier and Koji Yamada

Awareness among French healthcare workers of the transmission of multidrug resistant organisms: a large cross-sectional survey

Much effort has been made over the last two decades to educate and train healthcare professionals working on antimicrobial resistance in French hospitals. However, little has been done in France to assess perc...

Authors: L. Vaillant, G. Birgand, M. Esposito-Farese, P. Astagneau, C. Pulcini, J. Robert, J. R. Zahar, E. Sales-Wuillemin, F. Tubach and J. C. Lucet

Study of genetic diversity, biofilm formation, and detection of Carbapenemase, MBL, ESBL, and tetracycline resistance genes in multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolated from burn wound infections in Iran

Antimicrobial resistance in multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MDR-AB) isolated from burn wound infections is a major concern in intensive care or burns units worldwide, and molecular studies are consid...

Authors: Reza Ranjbar and Abbas Farahani

Agrobacterium spp. nosocomial outbreak assessment using rapid MALDI-TOF MS based typing, confirmed by whole genome sequencing

A number of episodes of nosocomial Agrobacterium spp. bacteremia (two cases per year) were observed at Bern University Hospital, Switzerland, from 2015 to 2017. This triggered an outbreak investigation.

Authors: Carlo Casanova, Elia Lo Priore, Adrian Egli, Helena M. B. Seth-Smith, Lorenz Räber, Daniel Ott, Valentin Pflüger, Sara Droz, Jonas Marschall and Rami Sommerstein

Choice of therapeutic interventions and outcomes for the treatment of infections caused by multidrug-resistant gram-negative pathogens: a systematic review

Antimicrobial resistance is an increasingly serious threat to public health, and the increased occurrence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria is a concern in both high-income and low- and middle-income count...

Authors: Sarah Melissa Nørgaard, Camilla Skaarup Jensen, Josefine Aalestrup, Christina M. J. E. Vandenbroucke-Grauls, Mark G. J. de Boer and Alma Becic Pedersen

Fecal carriage of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in hospital and community settings in Chad

Fecal carriage of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-PE) remains poorly documented in Africa. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of ESBL-PE fecal carriage in...

Authors: Oumar Ouchar Mahamat, Abdelsalam Tidjani, Manon Lounnas, Mallorie Hide, Julio Benavides, Calèbe Somasse, Abdoul-Salam Ouedraogo, Soufiane Sanou, Christian Carrière, Anne-Laure Bañuls, Hélène Jean-Pierre, Yann Dumont and Sylvain Godreuil

Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) screening and isolation in the general medicine ward: a cost-effectiveness analysis

Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are a serious antimicrobial resistant threat in the healthcare setting. We assessed the cost-effectiveness of VRE screening and isolation for patients at high-risk for co...

Authors: Stephen Mac, Tiffany Fitzpatrick, Jennie Johnstone and Beate Sander

Genomic characterization of Citrobacter freundii strains coproducing OXA-48 and VIM-1 carbapenemase enzymes isolated in leukemic patient in Spain

The emergence of carbapenemase-producing (CP) Citrobacter freundii poses a significant threat to public health, especially in high-risk populations. In this study, whole genome sequencing was used to characterize...

Authors: Rym Lalaoui, Ana Djukovic, Sofiane Bakour, Linda Hadjadj, Jaime Sanz, Miguel Salavert, Jose Luis López-Hontangas, Miguel A. Sanz, Carles Ubeda and Jean-Marc Rolain

Clinical, microbiological, and molecular epidemiological characteristics of Klebsiella pneumoniae-induced pyogenic liver abscess in southeastern China

Klebsiella pneumoniae-induced pyogenic liver abscess (KP-PLA) has emerged as a life-threatening disease worldwide. However, to date, a limited number of scholars have attempted to systematically elucidate the cha...

Authors: Siqin Zhang, Xiucai Zhang, Qing Wu, Xiangkuo Zheng, Guofeng Dong, Renchi Fang, Yizhi Zhang, Jianming Cao and Tieli Zhou

Acceptability and tolerability of alcohol-based hand hygiene products for elderly residents in long-term care: a crossover study

Hand hygiene is a critical component of infection control. Much of the focus on improving hand hygiene in healthcare settings has been directed towards healthcare worker compliance but its importance for patie...

Authors: Margaret O’Donoghue, Jacqueline M. C. Ho, Didier Pittet and Lorna K. P. Suen

Debate on the compositions of influenza B in northern hemisphere seasonal influenza vaccines

Annual influenza vaccination is the most effective way to prevent influenza. Influenza vaccines have traditionally included the hemagglutinins (HA) and neuraminidases (NA) from the two A viruses (H1N1 and H3N2...

Authors: Guozhong He, Pengfei Yang, Qingli Yan and Chenglong Xiong

Prescribing practices using WHO prescribing indicators and factors associated with antibiotic prescribing in six community pharmacies in Asmara, Eritrea: a cross-sectional study

Antibiotics require more prudent prescribing, dispensing and administration than other medicines because these medicines are at a greater risk of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Studying the current medicine u...

Authors: Nebyu Daniel Amaha, Dawit G. Weldemariam, Nuru Abdu and Eyasu H. Tesfamariam

Nurse roles in antimicrobial stewardship: lessons from public sectors models of acute care service delivery in the United Kingdom

Health care services must engage all relevant healthcare workers, including nurses, in optimal antimicrobial use to address the global threat of drug-resistant infections. Reflecting upon the variety of antimi...

Authors: Enrique Castro-Sánchez, Mark Gilchrist, Raheelah Ahmad, Molly Courtenay, Jo Bosanquet and Alison H. Holmes

Patterns of self-medication with antibiotics in Maputo City: a qualitative study

Mozambique classifies but does not yet enforce antibiotics as prescription-only-medicine (POM) allowing the public access to a variety of antibiotics that otherwise are provided on prescription. This contribut...

Authors: Neusa F. Torres, Vernon P. Solomon and Lyn E. Middleton

Infection control management and surveillance of carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria in hematopoietic stem cell recipients

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a curative treatment option for selected diseases of the hematopoietic system. In the context of HSCT, bloodstream infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria ...

Authors: Claas Baier, Maleen Beck, Viktoria Panagiota, Catherina Lueck, Daniel Kharazipour, Sophie Charlotte Hintze, Robin Bollin, Ella Ebadi, Stefan Ziesing, Matthias Eder, Franz-Christoph Bange and Gernot Beutel

Linezolid use in German acute care hospitals: results from two consecutive national point prevalence surveys

Linezolid belongs to a reserve group of antibiotics. In recent years, reports on linezolid resistance in gram-positive cocci have become more frequent. Overuse of linezolid is a relevant factor for resistance ...

Authors: Tobias Siegfried Kramer, Frank Schwab, Michael Behnke, Sonja Hansen, Petra Gastmeier and Seven Johannes Sam Aghdassi

Selection and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance in Agri-food production

Public unrest about the use of antimicrobial agents in farming practice is the leading cause of increasing and the emergences of Multi-drug Resistant Bacteria that have placed pressure on the agri-food industr...

Authors: Guyue Cheng, Jianan Ning, Saeed Ahmed, Junhong Huang, Rizwan Ullah, Boyu An, Haihong Hao, Menghong Dai, Lingli Huang, Xu Wang and Zonghui Yuan

Sources and reservoirs of Staphylococcus capitis NRCS-A inside a NICU

The methicillin-resistant clone Staphylococcus capitis NRCS-A, involved in sepsis in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) worldwide, is able to persist and spread in NICUs, suggesting the presence of reservoirs ...

Authors: Marine Butin, Yann Dumont, Alice Monteix, Aurane Raphard, Christine Roques, Patricia Martins Simoes, Jean-Charles Picaud and Frédéric Laurent

Molecular and phenotypic characterization of clinical isolates belonging to a KPC-2-producing strain of ST15 Klebsiella pneumoniae from a Vietnamese pediatric hospital

Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae are becoming increasingly common in hospital settings worldwide and are a source of increased morbidity, mortality and health care costs. The global epidemiology of carb...

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

Detection of Pan drug resistance OXA-48 producing Providencia in an ICU patient for the first time in Nepal

Resistance to antimicrobial agents of pathogenic bacteria has become a major problem in routine medical practices. Carbapenem resistance has long been increasing. The production of carbapenem- hydrolysing β-la...

Authors: Ranjit Sah, Shusila Khadka, Gentle Sunder Shrestha, Subhash Acharya, Diptesh Aryal, Pramesh Shrestha, Hari Prasad Kattel, Niranjan Prasad Shah, Bharat Mani Pokhrel, Yogendra Prasad Singh, Basista Rijal and Hakan Erdem

Detection of Brucellae in peripheral blood mononuclear cells for monitoring therapeutic efficacy of brucellosis infection

Brucellosis is one of the most severe widespread zoonoses caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Brucella species. The diagnosis and clinical assessment of human brucellosis are very important for the management o...

Authors: Heng Yang, Guoxia Zhang, Peifang Luo, Zuoping He, Feihuan Hu, Linhai Li, Jean-Pierre Allain, Chengyao Li and Wenjing Wang

Amplified fragment length polymorphism and whole genome sequencing: a comparison of methods in the investigation of a nosocomial outbreak with vancomycin resistant enterococci

Recognition of nosocomial outbreaks with antimicrobial resistant (AMR) pathogens and appropriate infection prevention measures are essential to limit the consequences of AMR pathogens to patients in hospitals....

Authors: Victoria A. Janes, Daan W. Notermans, Ingrid J.B. Spijkerman, Caroline E. Visser, Marja E. Jakobs, Robin van Houdt, Rob J.L. Willems, Menno D. de Jong, Constance Schultsz and Sébastien Matamoros

A recurrent and transesophageal echocardiography–associated outbreak of extended-spectrum β-lactamase–producing Enterobacter cloacae complex in cardiac surgery patients

We report a recurrent outbreak of postoperative infections with extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)–producing E. cloacae complex in cardiac surgery patients, describe the outbreak investigation and highlight the...

Authors: Tom Van Maerken, Els De Brabandere, Audrey Noël, Liselotte Coorevits, Pascal De Waegemaeker, Raina Ablorh, Stefaan Bouchez, Ingrid Herck, Harlinde Peperstraete, Pierre Bogaerts, Bruno Verhasselt, Youri Glupczynski, Jerina Boelens and Isabel Leroux-Roels

Antibiotic prescribing in general medical and surgical specialties: a prospective cohort study

Qualitative work has described the differences in prescribing practice across medical and surgical specialties. This study aimed to understand if specialty impacts quantitative measures of prescribing practice.

Authors: E. Charani, E. de Barra, T. M. Rawson, D. Gill, M. Gilchrist, N. R. Naylor and A. H. Holmes

Hospital outbreak caused by linezolid resistant Enterococcus faecium in Upper Austria

Enterococcus faecium is part of the human gastrointestinal flora but may act as opportunistic pathogen. Environmental persistence, high colonization capability and diverse intrinsic and acquired resistance mechan...

Authors: Heidrun Kerschner, Adriana Cabal, Rainer Hartl, Sigrid Machherndl-Spandl, Franz Allerberger, Werner Ruppitsch and Petra Apfalter

Abstracts from the 5th International Conference on Prevention & Infection Control (ICPIC 2019)

Authors:

Attitudes about sickness presenteeism in medical training: is there a hidden curriculum?

Sickness presenteeism among healthcare professionals can compromise patient safety. To better understand what motivates this phenomenon, especially among trainees, the authors investigated attitudes of medical...

Authors: Lauris C. Kaldjian, Laura A. Shinkunas, Heather Schacht Reisinger, Marc A. Polacco and Eli N. Perencevich

The rise in vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium in Germany: data from the German Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance (ARS)

Due to limited therapeutic options, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREF) is of great clinical significance. Recently, rising proportions of vancomycin resistance in enterococcal infections have been r...

Authors: Robby Markwart, Niklas Willrich, Sebastian Haller, Ines Noll, Uwe Koppe, Guido Werner, Tim Eckmanns and Annicka Reuss

Dutch guideline for preventing nosocomial transmission of highly-resistant micro-organisms (HRMO) in long-term care facilities (LTCFs)

In 2012, the Dutch Working Party for Infection Control (WIP) issued the first Guideline for prevention of transmission of highly-resistant micro-organisms (HRMO) in Hospitals. The next step was to focus on lon...

Authors: Andrea Eikelenboom-Boskamp, Jobje Haaijman, Maria Bos, Katja Saris, Else Poot and Andreas Voss

Incidence of healthcare-associated infections in a tertiary hospital in Beijing, China: results from a real-time surveillance system

To quantify the five year incidence trend of all healthcare-associated infections (HAI) using a real-time HAI electronic surveillance system in a tertiary hospital in Beijing, China.

Authors: Yuzheng Zhang, Mingmei Du, Janice Mary Johnston, Ellie Bostwick Andres, Jijiang Suo, Hongwu Yao, Rui Huo, Yunxi Liu and Qiang Fu

Risk factors and outcomes in non-transplant patients with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli bacteremia: a retrospective study from 2013 to 2016

Escherichia coli is one of the most common strains of extended-spectrum β-lactam (ESBL)-producing bacteria, and the prevention and treatment of ESBL-producing E. coli infections is an ongoing challenge. The clini...

Authors: Tingting Xiao, Kai Yang, Yanzi Zhou, Shuntian Zhang, Jinru Ji, Chaoqun Ying, Ping Shen and Yonghong Xiao

Antimicrobial susceptibility and molecular characteristics of Mycoplasma pneumoniae isolates across different regions of China

In China mainland, most Mycoplasma pneumoniae related studies are carried out in Beijing and Shanghai, while rare studies are performed in the other regions. In this study, we analyzed the molecular biology chara...

Authors: Fei Zhao, Jing Li, Jinrong Liu, Xuemei Guan, Jie Gong, Liyong Liu, Lihua He, Fanliang Meng and Jianzhong Zhang

Perception, attitude, knowledge and learning style preference on challenges of antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial overuse among first year doctors in training and final year medical students

To promote effective education on challenges of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antimicrobial overuse, it is necessary to understand the current perception, attitude, knowledge and learning style preference...

Authors: Pinyo Rattanaumpawan, Nuttagarn Chuenchom and Visanu Thamlikitkul

Correction to: Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus meningitis after needlestick injury: a case report

The original article [1] contains several mentions of a potentially misleading assertion which the authors would like to clarify; each mention relating to LCMV needlestick injury and its potential capacity for...

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

bla_NDM-5 carried by a hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae with sequence type 29

A carbapenem-resistant hypermucoviscous Klebsiella pneumoniae isolate was recovered from human sputum.

Authors: Yi Yuan, Ying Li, Guangxi Wang, Chengwen Li, Yung-Fu Chang, Wenbi Chen, Siji Nian, Yingyu Mao, Jinping Zhang, Fangcai Zhong and Luhua Zhang

Efficacy of disinfectant-impregnated wipes used for surface disinfection in hospitals: a review

“Ready-to-use” disinfecting wipes (also known as pre-impregnated disinfecting wipe) are broadly used in food industry and domestic situations. Their application in hospitals and healthcare centres for decontam...

Authors: Xinyu Song, Lutz Vossebein and Andrea Zille

Exploring healthcare providers’ mental models of the infection prevention “patient zone” - a concept mapping study

Pathogen transmission plays a major role in the development of healthcare-associated infections. The “patient zone” concept developed as part of the World Health Organization’s “Five moments of hand hygiene” a...

Authors: Jasmina Bogdanovic, Serge Petralito, Simone Passerini, Hugo Sax, Tanja Manser and Lauren Clack

Early-life gut microbiome modulation reduces the abundance of antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Antibiotic-resistant (AR) bacteria are a global threat. AR bacteria can be acquired in early life and have long-term sequelae. Limiting the spread of antibiotic resistance without triggering the development of...

Authors: Giorgio Casaburi, Rebbeca M. Duar, Daniel P. Vance, Ryan Mitchell, Lindsey Contreras, Steven A. Frese, Jennifer T. Smilowitz and Mark A. Underwood

Economic burden of antibiotic resistance in ESKAPE organisms: a systematic review

Antibiotic resistance (ABR) is one of the biggest threats to global health. Infections by ESKAPE (Enterococcus, S. aureus, K. pneumoniae, A. baumannii, P. aeruginosa, and E. coli) organisms are the leading cause ...

Authors: Xuemei Zhen, Cecilia Stålsby Lundborg, Xueshan Sun, Xiaoqian Hu and Hengjin Dong

Screening for carriage of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in settings of high endemicity: a position paper from an Italian working group on CRE infections

A variety of national and international guidelines exist around the management of carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CREs), but some of these are several years old and do not reflect current epidemiology...

Authors: Simone Ambretti, Matteo Bassetti, Pierangelo Clerici, Nicola Petrosillo, Fabio Tumietto, Pierluigi Viale and Gian Maria Rossolini

Serratia marcescens colonization in preterm neonates during their neonatal intensive care unit stay

Nosocomial sepsis is the main problem that preterms have to face during their stay at neonatal intensive care units (NICU). Serratia marcescens is an emerging cause of preterm sepsis but its epidemiology is still...

Authors: Laura Moles, Marta Gómez, Elena Moroder, Esther Jiménez, Diana Escuder, Gerardo Bustos, Ana Melgar, Jeniffer Villa, Rosa del Campo, Fernando Chaves and Juan M. Rodríguez

Antimicrobial susceptibility profile of selected Enterobacteriaceae in wastewater samples from health facilities, abattoir, downstream rivers and a WWTP in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Evaluation of antimicrobial susceptibility profile of various bacterial pathogens in the health facilities, abattoirs and related environment is important to assess potential risk of dissemination of resistant...

Authors: Hemen Tesfaye, Haile Alemayehu, Adey F. Desta and Tadesse Eguale

Correction to: Cross-border comparison of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and AMR prevention measures: the healthcare workers’ perspective

The original article [1] contained a minor editorial typo in the following sentence which has now been corrected:

Authors: J. Keizer, L. M. A. Braakman-Jansen, S. Kampmeier, R. Köck, N. Al Naiemi, R. Te Riet-Warning, N. Beerlage-De Jong, K. Becker and J. E. W. C. Van Gemert-Pijnen

Intrinsic and external determinants of antibiotic prescribing: a multi-level path analysis of primary care prescriptions in Hubei, China

Irrational use of antibiotics is a major driver of development of antibiotic resistance, which heavily threatens population health worldwide. Understanding the mechanism of physician’s antibiotic prescribing d...

Authors: Chenxi Liu, Chaojie Liu, Dan Wang and Xinping Zhang