Articles

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

Community pharmacy staff’s response to symptoms of common infections: a pseudo-patient study

Inappropriate over-the-counter supply of antibiotics in pharmacies for common infections is recognised as a source of antibiotic misuse that can worsen the global burden of antibiotic resistance.

Authors: Shukry Zawahir, Sarath Lekamwasam and Parisa Aslani

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

Scenario-based simulation training for the WHO hand hygiene self-assessment framework

The WHO SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands global hand hygiene campaign, launched in 2009 and celebrated annually on the 5th of May, features specific calls to action seeking to increase engagement from stakeholders’ c...

Authors: Ermira Tartari, Carolina Fankhauser, Alexandra Peters, Buyiswa Lizzie Sithole, Funda Timurkaynak, Sarah Masson-Roy, Benedetta Allegranzi, Daniela Pires and Didier Pittet

Successful implementation of infection control measure in a neonatal intensive care unit to combat the spread of pathogenic multidrug resistant Staphylococcus capitis

Once present in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), multidrug resistant Staphylococcus capitis NRCS-A is able to settle and diffuse.

Authors: Jérôme Ory, Michel Cazaban, Brigitte Richaud-Morel, Massimo Di Maio, Catherine Dunyach-Remy, Alix Pantel, Albert Sotto, Frédéric Laurent, Jean-Philippe Lavigne and Marine Butin

Impact of psychologically tailored hand hygiene interventions on nosocomial infections with multidrug-resistant organisms: results of the cluster-randomized controlled trial PSYGIENE

Professional hand hygiene compliance represents a multifaceted behaviour with various determinants. Thus, it has been proposed to apply psychological frameworks of behaviour change to its promotion. However, r...

Authors: Thomas von Lengerke, Ella Ebadi, Bettina Schock, Christian Krauth, Karin Lange, Jona T. Stahmeyer and Iris F. Chaberny

Genomic analysis of multidrug-resistant clinical Enterococcus faecalis isolates for antimicrobial resistance genes and virulence factors from the western region of Saudi Arabia

Enterococcus faecalis is a ubiquitous member of the gut microbiota and has emerged as a life- threatening multidrug-resistant (MDR) nosocomial pathogen. The aim of this study was to survey the prevalence of multi...

Authors: Muhammad Farman, Muhammad Yasir, Rashad R. Al-Hindi, Suha A. Farraj, Asif A. Jiman-Fatani, Maha Alawi and Esam I. Azhar

Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of antibiotic resistance in the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from hospital cockroaches

Cockroaches are one of the most important and frequent insects responsible for harboring, transmission and dissemination of human pathogens in the hospital environment. The present research was done to study t...

Authors: Zohreh Abdolmaleki, Zohreh Mashak and Farhad Safarpoor Dehkordi

The value of the infection prevention and control nurse led MRSA ward round

Meticillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is prevalent in most parts of the world. The study took place at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) a UK tertiary referral hospital. At QEHB innovative nurse led dail...

Authors: Mark I. Garvey, Craig W. Bradley, Martyn A. C. Wilkinson, Kerry L. Holden, Victoria Clewer and Elisabeth Holden

Comparison of Tigecycline or Cefoperazone/Sulbactam therapy for bloodstream infection due to Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii

We retrospectively analyzed the effect of tigecycline and cefoperazone/sulbactam therapies on the prognosis of patients with carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii bloodstream infection (CRAB-BSI).

Authors: Tianshui Niu, Qixia Luo, Yaqing Li, Yanzi Zhou, Wei Yu and Yonghong Xiao

Evaluating the impact of the ICNET® clinical decision support system for antimicrobial stewardship

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an ecological and economic crisis and stewardship of available antimicrobials is required. Electronic prescribing, where available, enables auditing of practice, yet in order ...

Authors: Katie L. Heard, Stephen Hughes, Nabeela Mughal, Berge S. Azadian and Luke S. P. Moore

High prevalence of direct repeat unit types of 10di, 8 h and 8i among methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains with staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec type IIIA isolated in Tehran, Iran

The emergence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a main concern in burn care centers worldwide. The some reports of MRSA in Iran suggested that MRSA with type SCCmec III is common among burn...

Authors: Mitra Motallebi, Fereshteh Jabalameli, Reza Beigverdi and Mohammad Emaneini

Facility type and surgical specialty are associated with suboptimal surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis practice patterns: a multi-center, retrospective cohort study

Guidelines recommend discontinuation of antimicrobial prophylaxis within 24 h after incision closure in uninfected patients. However, how facility and surgical specialty factors affect the implementation of th...

Authors: Westyn Branch-Elliman, Steven D. Pizer, Elise A. Dasinger, Howard S. Gold, Hassen Abdulkerim, Amy K. Rosen, Martin P. Charns, Mary T. Hawn, Kamal M. F. Itani and Hillary J. Mull

Epidemiological, clinical, and microbiological characteristics of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae bloodstream infection in the Republic of Korea

Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) is an important pathogen in nosocomial infections; nevertheless, only a few studies regarding CPE infection and its epidemiological factors have been conducted ...

Authors: Jung-wan Park, Hyungmin Lee, Se Yoon Park and Tae Hyong Kim

The public washroom - friend or foe? An observational study of washroom cleanliness combined with microbiological investigation of hand hygiene facilities

Many people use handwashing and hand-drying facilities in public washrooms under the impression that these amenities are hygienic. However, such facilities may be potential sites for the transmission of pathog...

Authors: Lorna K. P. Suen, Gilman K. H. Siu, Yue Ping Guo, Simon K. W. Yeung, Kiki Y. K. Lo and Margaret O’Donoghue

Evaluation of co-transfer of plasmid-mediated fluoroquinolone resistance genes and bla_NDM gene in Enterobacteriaceae causing neonatal septicaemia

The bla_NDM-1 (New Delhi Metallo-β-lactamase-1) gene has disseminated around the globe. NDM-1 producers are found to co-harbour resistance genes against many antimicrobials, including fluoroquinolones. The spread ...

Authors: Shravani Mitra, Suchandra Mukherjee, Sharmi Naha, Pinaki Chattopadhyay, Shanta Dutta and Sulagna Basu

Prevalence of plasmid-mediated AmpC in Enterobacteriaceae isolated from humans and from retail meat in Zagazig, Egypt

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of plasmid-mediated AmpC (pAmpC) among Enterobacteriaceae isolated from humans and from retail meat in Egypt.

Authors: Katrijn L. Rensing, H. M. Abdallah, Alex Koek, Gamal A. Elmowalid, Christina M. J. E. Vandenbroucke-Grauls, Nashwan al Naiemi and Karin van Dijk

The nature and epidemiology of OqxAB, a multidrug efflux pump

OqxAB efflux pump has been found to mediate multidrug resistance (MDR) in various bacteria over the past decades. The updates on the nature and epidemiology of OqxAB efflux pump need to be fully reviewed to br...

Authors: Jun Li, Heying Zhang, Jianan Ning, Abdul Sajid, Guyue Cheng, Zonghui Yuan and Haihong Hao

Obstacles to the successful introduction of an electronic hand hygiene monitoring system, a cohort observational study

Hand hygiene (HH) compliance remains low in many intensive care units (ICU). Technology has been suggested to improve HH compliance.

Authors: Phillip D. Levin, Reut Razon, Carmela Schwartz, Alexander Avidan, Charles L. Sprung, Allon E. Moses and Shmuel Benenson

Blood culture result profile and antimicrobial resistance pattern: a report from neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), Asella teaching and referral hospital, Asella, south East Ethiopia

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the major public health emergencies worldwide, and this trend didn’t spare developing countries like Ethiopia. The objective of this study was to evaluate patterns of bacteri...

Authors: Abebe Sorsa, Jonas Früh, Loraine Stötter and Sileshi Abdissa

A compilation of antimicrobial susceptibility data from a network of 13 Lebanese hospitals reflecting the national situation during 2015–2016

There is a lack of official national antimicrobial resistance (AMR) data in Lebanon. Individual hospitals generate their own antibiotic susceptibility data in the form of yearly pamphlets.

Authors: Rima Moghnieh, Georges F. Araj, Lyn Awad, Ziad Daoud, Jacques E. Mokhbat, Tamima Jisr, Dania Abdallah, Nadim Azar, Noha Irani-Hakimeh, Maher M. Balkis, Mona Youssef, Gilbert Karayakoupoglou, Monzer Hamze, Madonna Matar, Roula Atoui, Edmond Abboud…

Effective therapeutic regimens in two South Asian countries with high resistance to major Helicobacter pylori antibiotics

Nepal and Bangladesh have a high prevalence of Helicobacter pylori with high resistance rates to clarithromycin, metronidazole, and levofloxacin. Here, we evaluated the susceptibility and genetic mutations of 5 a...

Authors: Muhammad Miftahussurur, Hafeza Aftab, Pradeep Krishna Shrestha, Rabi Prakash Sharma, Phawinee Subsomwong, Langgeng Agung Waskito, Dalla Doohan, Kartika Afrida Fauzia and Yoshio Yamaoka

Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase production and multi-drug resistance among Enterobacteriaceae isolated in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

The global emergence and spread of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) producing Enterobacteriaceae have been threatening the ability to treat an infection. Hence, this study aimed to determine the prevalen...

Authors: Dejenie Shiferaw Teklu, Abebe Aseffa Negeri, Melese Hailu Legese, Tesfaye Legesse Bedada, Hiwot Ketema Woldemariam and Kassu Desta Tullu

Influence of antibiotic pressure on multi-drug resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae colonisation in critically ill patients

The aim of this study is to evaluate the risk factors for colonisation by multidrug resistant (MDR) K. pneumoniae in a critical care unit and the relationship between colonisation and the antibiotic pressure exer...

Authors: Jesus Ruiz, Monica Gordon, Esther Villarreal, Juan Frasquet, María Ángeles Sánchez, María Martín, Álvaro Castellanos and Paula Ramirez

Nation-wide survey of screening practices to detect carriers of multi-drug resistant organisms upon admission to Swiss healthcare institutions

As emergence and spread of multi-drug resistant organisms (MDRO) requires a standardized preventive approach, we aimed to evaluate current MDRO admission screening practices in Swiss hospitals and to identify ...

Authors: Romain Martischang, Niccolo Buetti, Carlo Balmelli, Mirko Saam, Andreas Widmer and Stephan Harbarth

Implementation of antibiotic stewardship in different settings - results of an international survey

Antibiotic stewardship interventions are being implemented across different healthcare settings. We report the findings of a global survey of healthcare professionals on the implementation of antibiotic stewar...

Authors: E. Charani, Enrique Castro-Sanchéz, S. Bradley, D. Nathwani, Alison H. Holmes and P. Davey